Where Do We Go From Here?
by Ms.Orange21
Summary: Johnny Lulu. What happened after the 'Because if I decide I want you, there wouldn't be any place you could go to get away from me.' line. Claudia has just arrived to P.C. CHAPTER 14 UP! **PERMANENT HIATUS**
1. 1: The End?

**Title:** Where Do We Go From Here?

**Summary: **What happened after the "Because if I decide I want you, there wouldn't be any place you could go to get away from me." line. Will probably be a multi-chapter story.

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Don't I wish I owned Johnny Zacchara? Alas, I do not. And I'm very sad because of it.

* * *

"You know what," Lulu said as she turned to walk away, "I've done all I can for you. I told you how to stay alive. If you don't want to listen –"

"So if I die, would you be sad," Johnny asked one more time.

She paused in her retreat and half-turned to face him again. "If you want to waste your life, it's up to you."

"Because," he said, ignoring her answer, "if I decide I want you, there wouldn't be any place you could go to get away from me."

Upon hearing that sentence, Lulu turned all the way around to face him. She was irritated at his attitude before, but now – now she was pissed. He switched her into full on Spencer mode.

"If you 'decide' you want me?" Her voice was laced with anger. "What if I 'decide' I don't want you?"

Johnny just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a Zacchara. I get what I want."

"Well, maybe you should get used to disappointment then," Lulu replied, sauntering towards him, hands on her hips. "Because I'm a Spencer, and I do what I want, how I want and when I want. And you," she continued, pausing to poke him in the chest with her finger, "are not a part of that equation, no matter what you may think."

"And Logan is," he replied with a snort.

"Yes. And he's more of a man than you'll ever be."

"Oh really," Johnny said, eyes growing cold and angry. He grabbed her wrist to pull away the finger that was digging into his chest. For an instant, Lulu was reminded of Anthony and an icy blanket of fear wrapped around her – because at that exact moment Johnny looked just like him.

"What kind of man exactly is that," he continued, voice getting angrier with each successive word. "Huh? One that mentally abuses an innocent girl? One that makes a bet to get her into bed to humiliate her? Or one who cheats on said girl as the reward for getting her into bed?"

It was then that Lulu realized that he had pulled her flush against him during his tirade. She had to tilt her head back slightly to see his face. She had never seen him so angry before. Or so beautiful. His eyes were flashing with anger, cheeks flushed, mouth slightly agape. Another thing she noticed – even though she had her wrist in a tight grip, he wasn't hurting her, unlike Logan in the park that one night. But at that moment, Lulu couldn't even remember who the hell Logan Hayes was.

"Is that the kind of person you want to be with," he continued, breaking her out of her trance.

Lulu had no answer. She just defiantly raised her chin and glared.

Johnny let out a small laugh. "Now I get it. You go back to Logan after he messed you up, and you keep coming back to me despite my repeated attempts to get you to leave me alone. Do you enjoy getting abused? Into the whole masochism thing?"

"How dare you," she hissed, swinging up her free hand to smack him. He caught it easily, looking down into her furious facade. As angry as he was about the comment about Logan, right now he was all too aware of the way she was trapped against him – both her wrists in his hands and her body flat against his. It was getting very distracting and making it hard to concentrate on the task at hand – being angry and trying to get her angry enough to stay away from him so she'd be safe.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said., with a slight grin. "Someone could get hurt."

"You are a pig," Lulu spat out in disgust, trying to free her wrists from him. "What Logan did to me might have been horrible, but you – you are even more disgusting and despicable than he ever was."

Johnny's eyes went black from fury. For another split second, Lulu felt fear. But that fear barely registered as he pulled her tighter to him – if that was even possible – and crushed his mouth down to hers. It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a battle of lips and tongues, bruising and almost painful, full of anger… and passion. And the most amazing thing either of them had ever felt.

They separated when then needed to breathe, each of them slightly in shock. Johnny recovered first and slipped his mask of indifference back on – but when he spoke, his voice was still full of the rage he felt earlier – and something else.

"If you ever compare me to Logan Hayes again, Lulu – it will be the last thing you ever do."

Then he turned on his heel and left.


	2. 2: I Need A Drink

**Chapter 2: I Need A Drink**

_A/N: I get the feeling that Johnny and Carly are actually going to wind up a pretty decent friends, so I've taken some liberties with their relationship. Forgive me if it's too Out of Character._

_I'm not sure about this chapter, so let me know what you think_

* * *

After his and Lulu's fight, Johnny didn't go straight home. Instead, he went to the worst place possible – The Metro Court. He figured that Logan or Jason Morgan would be on their way to find him and do him some serious bodily harm. There was no way that Lulu wasn't going tell someone he threatened her. So why not make it easy for them? At this point in time, he didn't care who found him. All he wanted to do was sit at the bar with his bottle of Jack and proceed to drink himself into oblivion.

Johnny didn't even know where to begin concerning what had happened with Lulu. Before he met her, he acted crazy for fun and because people expected him to. That was his reputation. The crazy, rebellious mobster's son. But Lulu was different. Their lives were similar and she understood him. And the more he wanted to get close to her, the more he couldn't.

All he wanted to do was keep her safe. Why couldn't the damn girl get a clue? There was nothing Johnny wanted more than to be with Lulu, but with the inevitable mob war approaching – not to mention a killer on the loose – her safety was the first priority. And that meant making sure she stayed away from him by any means necessary. And with the talent she had at pushing his buttons, it wasn't that hard to snap at her.

Then he went from being snappish to snapping. If there is one thing in the world sure to make Johnny go from calm to enraged is being compared to Logan Hayes. He hated Logan – not only because he could have Lulu with no consequences, but because of what he put her through. He didn't understand how she could even stand to look that guy in the eyes after what he did. Yet, Lulu didn't even hesitate when egging Johnny on – she went straight for the jugular when she called Logan the better man. Johnny took another shot in disgust as he remembered what happened just a short while ago.

"And to what do I owe this appearance in my hotel tonight?"

In the beginning, Carly wasn't Johnny's biggest fan. But he was a hero at the Black and White ball, not only saving her life personally, but he tried his damnedest to save everyone else's. From what Lulu told her, Johnny shot his father dead to protect her – but there were no bullets in the gun. He did his best to keep Lulu safe, and his concern for her truly touched Carly. If only he wasn't in the mob and Sonny's enemy… She believed that Lulu and Johnny had what it took to make it work. So her initial opinion about him was wrong. And there was nothing Carly hated more than being wrong.

Johnny looked over at Carly leaning on the bar next to him. "Well, I figured since I'm probably going to be dead in a few hours, I might as well live it up." He punctuated that sentence with another shot.

"Dead? Oh, Johnny, what the hell happened now? Haven't I warned you about Sonny? Do you listen to anyone," Carly yelled, throwing her hands in the air. She glanced over at him to see him shaking his head no.

"No? No what? Not Sonny?"

"Nope."

"Then what? Trevor…" She trailed off when realization hit her. "Lulu."

"Yep."

"I thought you were distancing yourself from her."

"I'm trying! But that cousin of yours has a goddamn mind of her own. Enough to drive a man to drink," Johnny stated, gesturing with his shot glass.

Carly nodded towards the nearly half empty bottle. "Was that full when you came in here?"

"Most definitely."

"So you wanna tell me why you're going to be dead because of Lulu?"

"Not really. Then I'll just have to add your name to the list of people who want to kill me."

"If you hurt her, Johnny, I swear – "

"I have to hurt her," he said, raising his voice. "That's the only way to get it through to her how dangerous it is to be around me!"

"Okay, okay, okay," she said, putting her hands up in as a sign for him to relax. "Calm down. I get what you're trying to do. I just jumped to conclusions. Now why don't you tell me what happened?"

Johnny just looked away and poured himself another shot.

Carly sighed. "You know, if you don't tell me, she will. And I'm sure you're rather get your half of the story out on the table first."

Now it was Johnny's turn to sigh. "Here's the long and short of it. She hunted me down again, I called her on it and made myself and cold to her as possible. We had a bad argument, and I kind of…. threatened her life," he finished in a rush, downing the shot.

"You what," Carly snarled at him.

"Why are you getting angry with me? It's what I had to do! I had to scare her! I thought, maybe if she thought she was in danger from me, she would finally leave me alone!" His mind was getting cloudy from all the alcohol and he was starting to feel his earlier anger rise again. "Do you really think I don't want her around? That I would honestly hurt her? I'm doing my best to keep her safe and she's blind to it! She keeps seeking me out!"

"Alright, Johnny, breathe," she said. "And I think you've had about enough of this," she added, taking the bottle and sliding it back to the bartender. "But you're right. Maybe if she's scared of you, she'll stop trying to contact you."

"But I'm disgusted with myself for the way I have to act now. I'm not a great person, but I'm not a monster. Except now I am. "

"You listen to me," Carly said, poking him in the chest. "You are not a monster. You're just trying to protect Lulu the best you can. You remember that." She looked Johnny up and down. "Let's get you a room so you can sleep this off. You drank enough to put a bear in a coma and you look like death."

As Johnny stumbled after Carly, rubbing his chest, all he could think of was, _What the hell is it with the Spencer women and poking in just the right spot?_


	3. 3: Help Me

_A/N: Not the best Chapter. I found writing Lulu a lot harder than writing Johnny. Next Chapter will have more Johnny and Carly, I think. Sorry about the lack of JoLu, but be patient. Good things come to those who wait. :-)  
_

**Chapter 3: Help Me.**

She was still standing in the same spot that Johnny had kissed her moments earlier. Lulu Spencer wasn't stupid. Tempestuous, rebellious, quick to anger, and sneaky, yes, but definitely not stupid. She knew what Johnny was trying to do – it was obvious. He ran hot and cold, from being nice and charming to distant and cruel. He was trying to keep her safe and was torn about it. Yet she still fell for his cruelty when he laid it on. For some reason, she allowed him get her so angry that she said things that weren't even true.

Anger makes you do crazy things. Like saying that Logan was a better man than Johnny and that Johnny was the one who was despicable and disgusting. Lulu cringed as she remembered his face as she said those words. The pain, then anger, then absolute fury that crossed his features was truly agonizing to watch. She hated the fact that she caused those emotions. And, she had to admit, he frightened her a bit. But she knew what he was doing and there was no way she was going cave to his intimidations. Lulu was a fighter and she was going to fight for what she wanted.

Lulu inhaled sharply as that thought crossed her mind. What she wanted. _She wanted Johnny._She didn't want Logan. She was never really sure that she wanted Logan after the debacle with Maxie, but she had wanted to try. And now she knew the truth.

So why did she keep defending Logan to Johnny? Making him the better person – because he obviously wasn't. She did it because she wanted to hurt him just as much as his false bravado and indifference hurt her.

"Oh god," she moaned, covering her face with her hands. "Why does this always happen to me?" Lulu took a shaky breath in and decided she needed a plan of action. But first, she needed to see Carly for some advice.

* * *

"Carly," Lulu called, out as she entered the house a half hour later. "Are you home?"

"Yeah, sweetie, I'm right here," Carly answered, coming out of the kitchen. "What's up?"

"Please, I'm begging you, I know I'm still underage and all but could I please have a very strong drink? I'm dying here."

Considering that Carly had come from talking to Johnny no less than twenty minutes ago, she was able to figure out why Lulu was so distraught right away and decided to humor her.

"Well, it must be really bad this time if you need a drink to talk about it."

"Please don't make fun of me right now," she whined. "I just really, really need a drink. Don't make me beg."

"Okay, but just one," she replied, moving to fix the glass. Carly sat down next to her on the couch and set the drink in front of her. Lulu promptly took the glass and downed it all in one gulp.

Carly stared at her wide eyed. "Lulu, there was like 2 full shots of vodka in that glass! What's going on?"

All she got for an answer was the glass being held out, signaling for a refill. "Oh, no, I said only one."

"Carly, one more. That's all. I'll drink it very slowly. I just need to something to steady my nerves a bit." Lulu flashed a pathetic look her way, which wasn't very hard considering how she felt.

Carly sighed. First Johnny, now Lulu. This was going to be a very long night. She figured she was going to need a drink too. "Fine," she answered, getting up to fix their drinks, "but on one condition only. You're staying here tonight. I don't need you stumbling back to the Quatermaine's half drunk."

"No problem. I'm too drained to go back there tonight anyway."

She came back a minute later with the drinks and sat back down next to Lulu. "Now, start talking."

Lulu took a deep breath. "I'm breaking up with Logan tomorrow. Again."

That's not the confession that Carly was expecting. She hid her shock well, though. "Did he hurt you again," she asked, softly, touching her hand.

"No, no, nothing like that. It's just… I just think that too much damage was already done by Maxie."

"And?"

"'And' what? That's all."

"Okay, I'm glad you're ditching Logan for good and all, but what's the real reason behind this break up? You were all gung ho to work things out with him just a few days ago."

Lulu sighed and took a long sip out of her glass. "You see, this is why I needed a drink. Liquid courage."

"Lulu, just spit it out already. What's going on?"

"Fine, but hear me out. I don't want you to freak on me or anything."

"Saying that has the absolute opposite effect, you know."

"Johnny Zacchara kissed me tonight."

Carly narrowed her eyes a bit as Lulu confessed. "Well, he certainly forgot to mention that earlier," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that," Lulu asked. "I didn't hear what you said."

"Oh, nothing. I just said, I can't believe you would even tell me that."

"Well, that was after he really pissed me off and I said he was nothing compared to Logan. Then he threatened my life saying if I ever compared him to Logan again, it would be the last thing I do."

Carly's mouth dropped open in shock. Well, no wonder he threatened her! "Lulu, you compare anyone to Logan and you can be sure they'd threaten you! God! Even Spinelli would probably had your head if you said that to him!"

"I know! He was being so horrible, I just wanted to hurt him!"

"So you pissed him off. But why did he kiss you?"

"I don't know! One minute we're yelling, the next kissing."

Lulu put her head in her hands. "He's just so… so… on and off with me! I wish he'd make up his mind! I don't like being played with. He kisses me, then pushes me away. Then he pushes me away some more, I piss him off and he kisses me again, then threatens me."

"Wait, wait. He's kissed you twice?" _Oh, I think me and Johnny need to have a little talk_, Carly thought.

"Let's not forget the part where he threatened my life," Lulu retorted, sarcastically. She sighed. "Carly, I know he cares about me. A lot. That's why his actions bother me so much. But I know why he's acting the way he is towards me. And I…" she paused.

"Oh, Lulu, please don't say what I think you're going to say," Carly pleaded.

"I wish I wasn't. I did want to try again with Logan. It actually pains me to admit this, because I didn't want to, Carly, honestly." She took a deep breath. "And I know I've only known him a short time, but I've completely fallen for him and I need your help."


	4. 4: What Happens Then?

_A/N: Okay, I lied. No Carly and Johnny together this chapter. More Carly and Lulu, and more Johnny by himself. Sorry if this is a little short, but there is a method to how I'm setting things up. Don't worry, there will be some JoLu scenes coming, never fear loyal viewers!! wink.gif_

_Major thanks to all who review!_

**Chapter 4: What Happens Then?**

"Okay, you know what," Carly said, "I can't deal with this right now."

"But Carly – "

"No. I don't want to hear it. You know the repercussions about being with Johnny and yet you still want to be with him."

"Listen to me," Lulu pleaded. "I've tried to stay away from him, but I can't."

"Yes, I know all too well about the allure of the bad boy, remember?"

"Exactly! So you should understand my feelings!"

"Yes, I do, but I also know the consequences of having such a relationship." Carly put her hand over Lulu's. "Trust me; I know what I'm talking about."

"Right," she said with a hint of hurt in her voice. "Says the woman who's been married to not one, but two mobsters."

"Lulu – "

"No! You of all people should understand! You've been married to the mob twice – no, wait – 3 times! You married Sonny twice! My dad was in the mob for a bit, so that means my mom was married to the mob, too. And even Tracy admitted she was married to the mob for a short while. And look at you. You've all turned out fine!"

"Yes, but Lulu, the key word here is 'was'. As in no longer. Because it is dangerous! I've been kidnapped and shot!"

Lulu took a deep sigh. "Have you never taken a chance on anything?" Not waiting for a response, she continued. "Of course you have. That's why you tried so long to make it work with Sonny. And if you didn't you wouldn't have Morgan, now would you?"

Carly narrowed her eyes. "What are you getting at?"

"Could you imagine your life without Morgan in it? Because if you didn't take that chance on Sonny, he wouldn't be here."

"But our marriage didn't work out, Lulu!"

"And why did it ultimately fail in the end, huh? Not because of some mob thing, because you held the truth about Kristina from him."

"That's unfair."

"But true." She softened her voice. "I know Johnny won't hurt me, no matter what he says. He hasn't yet, despite his hurtful words because I know the truth! And I know he will keep me safe at all costs. Are you going to deny me my one chance?"

"Lulu…" Carly's voice trailed off. Lulu made some valid points, and to be honest, she truly liked Johnny. "I think you are doing the wrong thing and you are only going to get hurt or even killed in the end."

Lulu cracked a small smile, the first one all night. "Does that mean you're going to help me figure out how to get Johnny to stop pushing me away?"

"You're going to do it anyway whether or not I help, correct?"

"Damn right."

"Then what other choice do I have?"

* * *

Johnny woke up to banging on his hotel door and in his head. He glanced at his watch – 9:45am. Who the hell was bothering him this early? He slowly got out of bed and walked over to open the door.

"Good morning, sir," a waiter said as he entered with a cart. "Room service."

"I didn't order any room service."

"Mrs. Jax took care of it last night. She also wanted you to have this," he replied, handing him an envelope.

Slightly surprised at Carly's generosity, he gave the waiter a tip and let him out. He opened the envelope, curious to see what it said. He had a small grin on his face when he read its contents:

**Johnny –**

**I figured you'd need this after your little binge last night. Thank you for looking out for Lulu.**

– **Carly**

**P.S. I never apologized for accusing you of killing Leticia and I never thanked you for saving mine and Lulu's lives.**

_Well,_ he thought, _that's probably the closest thing I'm going to get to a real apology and thanks._ But it was good enough for him.

He reached over to take the cover off the tray and laughed at what he saw there: Dry toast, a pot of coffee, 2 bottles of water, a bottle of aspirin and another shot of Jack. When all else fails – hair of the dog.

Right now, though, he had a splitting headache. He took the shot and one bottle of water to put in the fridge. Then he shook four aspirin out of the bottle and chased that down with the rest of the water. Not feeling human enough to face the world, Johnny decided that a few more hours of sleep wouldn't hurt him.

He was wrong.


	5. 4a: Lulu

_A/N: This part had to get written ASAP. An addendum to Chapter 4. Don't hate me!_

**Chapter 4a: Lulu**

Johnny woke up to sunlight streaming on his face. He sat up to see Lulu opening the curtains in his hotel room. She looked the opposite of how he felt – bubbly and warm, dressed cozy in a long coat and nice shoes.

"Lulu," he said, blinking to clear his head from the remnants of sleep, "what are you doing here?"

"You know, it's really depressing to be in complete darkness," she replied as she finished adjusting the curtains. "No wonder you're always so testy."

"I had a headache. The dark was soothing. How did you get in here," he asked.

"Johnny, my cousin owns this hotel. I can get the key to any room I want."

"And your reasoning for being here is?"

"We need to talk."

Johnny got up off the bed, and turned around to head towards the mini fridge. He figured he was going to need that shot Carly left him and a lot more aspirin to get through this. "There is nothing left to talk about. What don't you understand?"

"Then why did you kiss me? Again?"

He sighed as he replied, "Because you were …" Johnny never got to finish his sentence. Because when he turned around, he saw that Lulu had discarded her coat and was standing in the sunlight, wearing nothing but a silky black negligee that fell to mid thigh. His mouth went completely dry and his throat constricted as he tried to get out words. "I…"

"I'm waiting," she said, hands on her hips. After a few more moments of silence, Lulu said, "Johnny, come here. I can't talk to you way across the room."

He couldn't help it. It was as if he was on the end of a rope being slowly pulled towards her. She looked like an angel in the sunlight, her hair shining and the negligee hugging all of her curves. Next thing Johnny knew, he was standing right in front of her.

"So, you want to tell me again why we don't have anything to talk about," she asked with a grin.

He tried to gain his composure, but it was hard with her right in front of him looking the way she did.

"Now," Lulu said, linking her arms around his neck, "are you going to try and tell me that you don't want me as much as I want you?"

That helped clear Johnny's mind – just a little. "I thought you wanted Logan."

"I thought so, too. But his kisses don't make me feel the way yours do."

"Lulu, this can't happen –" he replied as he already felt himself ready to give in.

"Will you stop arguing with me for once and just let go?" She started to lean forward and raise her face to kiss him – and suddenly she fell into him. Johnny's arms instinctively wrapped around her.

"Lulu?" He suddenly realized that her back felt warm and sticky. Stabilizing her with his one arm, he raised his other hand and his stomach dropped. It was covered with blood. He looked over at the window and saw the tiny hole that the bullet came through.

"Oh, god no! Lulu!" He laid her down on the bed and looked at her face. "Lulu, baby, stay with me." But it was too late. Her eyes had already gone glassy, and the comforter under her started to soak with her blood. He started to shake her, as if to wake her up. "Lulu. Lulu!"

* * *

"LULU!" Johnny shot up in his bed. Everything was still dark, the curtains still closed. His headache raged in full force. It took him a few minutes to realize that it was all a dream and calm his breathing. When he finally relaxed and remembered the nightmare, bile rose in his throat. As he raced to the bathroom to retch, the only thing that he thought was that they could never be together. 


	6. 5: Meetings

_A/N: Sorry this took so long! I had a few ideas and didn't know how to incorporate them all. My only issue is that I feel like the more I write, the more Out of Character I'm making everyone. Oh well. But Chapter 6 is already started. I don't think you'll be TOO disappointed LOL_

**Chapter 5: Meetings**

"Logan is supposed to meet me here any minute," Lulu said to Carly as they entered The Metro Court's lobby.

"Not that I'm a huge fan of the guy, but are you sure this is what you want?"

"More than anything."

"You better know what you're getting yourself into." They made their way to the elevators. "I'm going to go up to my office. After you take care of business, we'll discuss how to proceed."

"What kind of business," came a voice from behind Lulu and Carly. They turned to see Logan standing behind them.

"Just something Tracy asked me to do for my dad," Lulu covered smoothly. "Listen, let's take a walk to Kelly's for some coffee. I want to talk to you about something."

"Sure," Logan answered, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Carly," he said in acknowledgment.

"Logan." Her voice was chipper, because she knew exactly what Lulu was planning to tell him.

The elevator doors finally dinged to announce their arrival. Just as they were opening, Carly said, "When you're done, just come up to my office… " She trailed off as all three of them saw Johnny in the elevator vestibule. Tension as thick as sludge fell across the room.

First thing Johnny noticed was Logan's arm around Lulu's shoulder. Despite his dream from earlier, a jealousy he couldn't explain raged through him.

Lulu noticed that Johnny's naturally tan skin was strangely pale, and he just didn't look… right.

Carly noticed the same thing. "Good afternoon, Johnny. Looks like the Jack didn't agree with you last night," she said with a grin. That grin faded as he shot her a look that said more than words could.

"What the hell is he doing here," Logan said with copious amounts of animosity.

"It's my hotel," Carly answered. "I can let whoever I want to stay here. Like if I really wanted to, I could have you thrown out in less than a second."

Lulu ignored the two of them. "Johnny, are you alright? You don't look so hot –" she started to say, but Johnny cut her off.

"You leave me the hell alone," he snarled as he stormed off the elevator. Lulu flinched at the malice in his voice.

"What a gentleman," Logan snapped. "I told you he was bad news."

Carly could see Lulu tense up immediately. Before Lulu could retort, she said, "Sweetheart, why don't you go have your talk with Logan. I'm going to have a word with Mr. Zacchara over there."

"Don't waste your breath on that loser," Logan said. "He's not worth your time."

"Oh and you are," she retorted. As she walked away, she leaned down and whispered in Lulu's ear, "Despite the mob thing, Johnny is definitely an upgrade from this – what does Spinelli call him – neanderthal." Lulu just smiled as she led Logan out of the hotel.

It took Carly a minute to catch up to Johnny. He was standing in the front of the hotel, barking orders in his cell phone for someone to pick him up.

She stalked up to him, grabbing his arm to turn him around.

"Okay, Johnny, what happened after I left last night? Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"

"For all intents and purposes, I did."

"What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath. "I had a dream last night…" Johnny paused, thinking that maybe telling Carly wasn't the best idea. "Just a bad dream," he finished, lamely.

"Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream, too, and he told the whole word," she snapped. "Now what's going on?"

"Nothing that involves you."

"You listen to me, Zacchara, if it has to do with Lulu, it has to do with me. You want to keep her safe, right? Then tell me what's wrong?"

"I can't even keep her safe in my dreams," he yelled, finally pushed to the breaking point by Carly's incessant badgering. "Okay? I had a dream she was shot and died in my arms and I was covered in her blood. Are you happy now?"

"Johnny," she said, immediately softening, "it was just a dream. It didn't happen."

"Well, it sure felt real," he replied bitterly. "And if things continue, it probably will."

"You don't know that."

Johnny gave Carly a suspicious look. "What happened to keeping her safe, huh? Distancing myself?"

She swallowed nervously. "I'm just saying things like that aren't necessarily going to happen. It was just a dream."

Johnny rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Fine. Whatever. I'm too tired right now to deal with this. Just do me one favor."

"What do you need?"

"Promise me you'll help keep her away from me. I can't chance that ever happening to her. Promise you'll make her stay away."

Carly just looked at him. "Have you ever known Lulu to do what people tell her?"

"Please." He was almost begging.

She sighed. "I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best. I can't control what she does, but I will definitely stay on her case, okay?"

"I guess that's all I can ask for," he replied. At that moment his car pulled up. As he was getting in, Carly stopped him.

"If anything else happens, dreams or otherwise, let me know. Just because."

"'Just because'?"

"Because you're not half bad, Zacchara. Underneath that rough exterior, you're actually quite a decent fellow."

He let a small grin flash across his features as he nodded his head goodbye and got in the car. As it sped away, Carly put her head in her hands. _I promised Lulu I'd help her get Johnny; I promised Johnny I'd keep Lulu away. What the hell have I gotten myself into?_


	7. 6: The Wars We Wage

_A/N: FYI, in my story, Georgie hasn't been killed by the TMK. Also, a huge warning for any who is/was a Logan fan out there. Some serious Logan bashing is about to commence._

**Chapter 6: The Wars We Wage**

Johnny's head was pounding, but he was still exhausted from his twice-interrupted sleep last night. He took the bottle of aspirin that Carly had left for him out of his pocket and shook four into his hand. Getting ready pop them into his mouth, he realized that he had nothing to drink. Unfortunately, his mouth was still too cottony from last night's drinking to dry swallow anything.

"Hey," he said to the driver up front, "make a stop by Kelly's Diner for coffee." Johnny figured if he was going to have to deal with Trevor on his case for being out all night, the caffeine was needed.

* * *

"So what did you need to talk about," Logan asked Lulu after they got their coffee and settled down at a table in Kelly's.

She took a deep breath and came right out with it. "Logan, I don't think trying again is such a good idea."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about breaking up. For good."

"What the hell for? Lulu," he said grabbing her hands, "please. You haven't even given me a second chance yet. Don't do this."

"I'm sorry," she said, slipping her hands out of his grasp, "but it's just not going to work. I still think of you and Maxie all the time. I'm no longer angry about it, just disappointed. And the way you treat people – like you can push them around and ignore their requests to leave them alone and starting fights with Johnny every time you see him – it's not respectful."

Logan's eyes grew cold at the mention of Johnny. "I respect the people who deserve respect. Johnny Zacchara is not one of those people."

"What about me? You ignored my requests to be left alone numerous times, Logan. You came to where I lived, where I worked. And Johnny risked his life to save all of ours at the ball. How does that not deserve respect?"

"Is that the real reason you're breaking up with me? Because you want Johnny," Logan asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You know what," Lulu replied, getting up, "this conversation is over. We are over. I don't have to explain again and again to you that Johnny and I are just friends."

Logan grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back to him. "No. We're not done talking yet."

"Let go of me," she bit out.

"Not till you tell me what you see in that guy! He's dangerous, Lulu. He's a mobster and probably a murderer."

"He is not a murderer! And look who's talking about being a mobster. You worked for Sonny!"

"Why do you keep defending him," he asked, tightening his grip on her arm and giving it a shake.

"You're hurting me, Logan," Lulu said, starting to get frightened. "Let go."

* * *

Johnny walked up to Kelly's hoping to run in and out. He didn't want to stay around any longer than he had to. He stopped before he got to the door; glancing in the window, he saw Logan and Lulu sitting down at a table. Johnny paused a moment before deciding whether or not he should go in. He didn't want to deal with Logan again – seeing him once today was enough. And he definitely didn't want to see Lulu. Okay, that was a lie. He desperately wanted to see her, but couldn't allow himself to get any closer to her. It wasn't safe. 

Johnny kept watch through the window while thoughts ran through his mind. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was obvious Logan was getting agitated. Lulu got up, but Logan grabbed her to prevent her from leaving. Again. Then Georgie came out from behind the counter to come to Lulu's aid.

That's when all hell broke loose.

* * *

"Logan," Georgie said, nervously but sternly, "let Lulu go! You're going to hurt her!"

"Georgie, stay out of this. It's none of your concern!" He gave Lulu's arm another sharp tug. She bit her lip, refusing to cry out. She wasn't going to let Logan get the best of her.

"God, what is it with you and grabbing me! Holding me against my will doesn't change how I feel!"

"Logan, if you don't let her go, I'm going to call the police," Georgie yelled, grabbing his free arm. "You're hurting her!"

He swung the arm Georgie grabbed and pushed her off. She went sliding across the floor, hitting her head on the leg of one of the tables.

"Georgie," Lulu yelled, as she saw her friend go flying.

The next thing she knew, her arm was free and Logan was planted face first into the wall.

"You touch Georgie again and I'll break your arms. You grab Lulu like that again, and you'll lose your arms. You go anywhere near either one of them again and I'll make sure they don't find all the pieces of your body. How many times have I had to save Lulu from you, huh? HOW MANY TIMES? Are you a moron or do you just have a death wish?"

Lulu scrambled over to make sure Georgie was okay, and Mike came out of the back when he heard the commotion.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Nothing, sir," Johnny replied, quietly, still holding Logan against the wall. "Just trying to prevent the abuse of two young girls."

"Mike, this guy is crazy," Logan said. "Get him off me!"

"Don't listen to him," Georgie said, "He was hurting Lulu and the threw me across the room."

"Is this true, Lulu," Mike asked, looking at her.

"Yes it is," she answered coldly, looking right at Logan.

As Johnny let go of Logan, Mike said, "You are no longer welcome in this establishment. You come back here and I'll get a restraining order against you."

Logan glared at the group, adjusting the collar of his jacket where he was grabbed. Johnny turned around to check on Georgie and Lulu. "Are you both alright?"

"I think we'll be fine," Georgie answered. "Thank you."

"Johnny," Lulu started to say, "I – Johnny watch out!"

While their attention was off Logan, he grabbed a chair from one of the tables and swung it at Johnny. He tried to dodge, but didn't move quick enough and the chair broke over his legs. Caught off balance, Logan tackled him to the ground. Mike tried to get in the middle to break them up, but was knocked to the side in the melee. They rolled around on the floor for a few moments, each landing punches but neither getting the upper hand. Finally, Johnny was able to get on top and he started wailing away on his face. Once Logan was subdued, he grabbed his gun from behind his back and pointed it right between his eyes.

"Johnny, no," both Lulu and Georgie cried out.

"Why not? Give me one good reason that I shouldn't kill this bastard right now." His hands were shaking. Contrary to popular belief, Johnny Zacchara had never killed anyone before in his life. But the desire to murder Logan Hayes right now overtook his entire body.

"Because he's not worth the effort," Lulu said, calmly, putting her hand on the gun to push it away. "He's not worth going to jail over."

He looked over at Lulu; her ability to keep calm in such a dire situation relaxed him. He rolled off of Logan and sat on the ground. Mike lost no time in hauling Logan to his feet and pretty much dragging him out the door. "Consider that restraining order a go," he yelled out after him.

"Are you okay," Lulu asked as Johnny tried to get up.

"I'm fine," he said. But as he stood, his leg crumpled beneath him.

Georgie and Lulu both rushed to his side to catch him. "You're not fine," Georgie said. "What's wrong?"

"The chair got my leg, and I think I fell on my knee. I'll be okay; it'll just take me a minute to walk it off."

"I don't think so," Mike interrupted. "All three of you are going to the hospital."

"I don't need the hospital," Johnny said through his teeth. "I just want a cup of coffee and to go home."

"Bull. You can't even stand and you have a cut over your eye that looks like it needs stitches. I want to make sure Georgie's head is okay and Lulu's wrist looks swollen. Would you please accompany them to the hospital or am I going to have to drag you down there myself?"

Johnny got enraged again as he thought of Logan putting his hands on both of the girls. Lulu saw the look in his eyes and put her hand on his arm. "We're okay. Just get yourself taken care of, alright?"

He let out a deep sigh. "Fine. My car is out front. We can all fit in there." Trevor was just going to have to wait.

Mike watched as the two girls helped Johnny limp out of the restaurant. He was beginning to think that this Zacchara was not at all like his father.


	8. 7: A Trip To General Hospital

**Chapter 7: A Visit to General Hospital**

The ride to the hospital was quiet and uneventful. When they got there, they were separated – all three of them going their separate ways. Robin Scorpio got saddled with the task of taking care of Johnny and Lulu, while Patrick Drake was blessed with Georgie's company.

"So," Robin said as she wrapped Lulu's wrist in an ace bandage, "your wrist isn't broken. You just have a slight sprain from all the pulling. Logan twisting your wrist the way he did caused the ligaments to overstretch. Just try not to use it for a bit and ice it for about 20 minutes for the three times a day next few days. Does it hurt badly?"

She carefully tested out her wrapped wrist. "No, not too badly. It just throbs a bit."

"Okay, I don't think you'll need any strong painkillers then. I'm going to give you a prescription for 600mg of Motrin. That should help."

"Thanks, Robin."

"Knock, knock!" Robin and Lulu both turned around at the voice from the doorway.

"Hey Georgie," Lulu said, getting up to hug her friend. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry you got caught up in all this."

"I'm fine," she replied, patting Lulu on the back. "Just a bump on the head. No concussion. Just a little bit of ice and I'll be good as new. And don't you dare feel guilty for this! It's not your fault that Logan turned out to be psycho."

"She's right," Robin agreed. "But he's gone now, and good riddance."

"And they used to call Johnny the crazy one," Lulu replied, bitterly.

"Speaking of, I should go check on him. He should be back from his tests by now. And I guess I should thank him for saving my cousin, huh?"

The three of them gave a little laugh. "Okay, Lulu, here's your prescription and discharge papers. You're all set. Take care of that wrist," Robin said as she left the room.

As soon as the door closed shut, Georgie whipped around to face Lulu. "Alright. Spill."

"What?"

"What's going on between you and Johnny?"

Lulu gaped at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on. It's obvious. It was obvious at the Black and White Ball. And in Kelly's last time Logan tried to start a fight with him. And today! Every time Logan got a punch in, you cringed."

"I just didn't wan to see him getting hurt for helping us."

"Do I look stupid to you?"

Lulu threw her hands in the air. "Fine! Yes, I have a crush the size of China on him, okay? Are you happy now?"

"Russia is actually the biggest country, not China."

"Russia, then. I'm not that good at hiding it, huh? The only other person I told was Carly."

"So you did break up with Logan for Johnny." It was a statement, not a question.

"Well, not _only_ because of Johnny."

Georgie laughed. "I was wondering how long it was going to be before you started to fall for this guy."

"It sucks though! Because of his 'business' – " here Lulu used air quotes, "he thinks I'll be in danger all the time so he's doing his best to make me hate him instead."

"You're Lulu Spencer. You never do what anyone expects. Go after him until he folds!"

"You are the first person who's not warned me to stay away from him, you know that?"

"Lulu, he obviously cares about you. A lot. You were the one able to calm him down earlier. If you want something that badly, you just have to be stubborn. And you're good at that."

"Hey," she exclaimed, swatting her on the arm, "that's a Spencer trait. Blame it on my dad."

"Plus," Georgie continued, ignoring the swat, "he's totally hot. You can't pass up that piece of ass."

"Georgie!"

"What," she replied, innocently. "If I wasn't totally in love with Spinelli, I'd totally hit that."

They looked at each other and broke out laughing.

* * *

"Mr. Zacchara?"

"Johnny."

"Johnny," Robin said, moving towards the bed, "how are you feeling?"

"My knee hurts like a bitch. Otherwise, I'm fine."

She smiled. "Your knee hurts? From what I heard, you just wanted to head home and forget about it." She laughed as he started to blush. "Georgie's my cousin. She told me everything that happened." Sobering, she said, "Thank you, you know, for helping her. And Lulu, of course."

"I may be old fashioned, but hitting women is something that I consider wrong."

"You like to play the hero, don't you?"

"Not really. I think I'm magnetically drawn to damsels in distress," he replied with a grin. "It's like my Spidey-Sense."

Robin laughed again. "Well, Johnny, I have your tests here."

"What's the diagnosis, doc?"

"Well, you have two collateral ligaments in your knee – one on the inside and one on the outside. They are fairly easy to injure – usually the result of a fall or contact trauma. Lucky fellow you are, you had both. You have tears to both ligaments."

"Great," Johnny muttered. "Am I going to need surgery?"

"I don't think so," she replied. "It's not like you tore your ACL. The tears are tiny, but extremely painful. They should heal on their own. You will have to stay off it for a while – I'm going to prescribe you a brace and you're going to need crutches for about a week or so."

"So I'm going to be laid up for a week?"

"If you want to get better as fast as possible. You're also going to need to keep it elevated when you're not on it and ice it down for 20 minutes three times a day. I'll also prescribe you some Percocet for the pain."

Johnny groaned. "Lulu Spencer is becoming the bane of my existence."

"Well, when you become friends with a Spencer, you should know that danger in every form will follow you wherever you go."

"Now someone tells me."

* * *

"Hi, Dad," Lulu said as she entered her father's room. Georgie had left a little while earlier to get back to Kelly's since her injury was the mildest.

"Pumpkin, to what do I owe this visit?"

"Just wanted to see how you were feeling." She hopped up next to him on the bed. "Are the nurses taking good care of you?"

"Aside from the random room checks Tracy ordered them to do, they are sweet as pie." He adjusted the bed to a better sitting position. "So now you want to tell me what happened to your wrist over there that it's all bandaged?"

"I broke up with Logan."

"And he hurt you?"

She nodded. "And Georgie."

"I'll kill him," he stated, taking the oxygen out of his nose and starting to rip the wires off his body. "I don't care if it gives me another heart attack, at least I'll die happy!"

Lulu laid her hands gently on his chest. "Calm down. Everything's taken care of. Johnny Zacchara showed up before anything serious happened."

"Anything serious? Sweetheart, you were injured enough to wind up here. That's serious."

"Don't worry, Dad. We won't have to worry about Logan anymore."

"What? Don't tell me Zacchara took care of him?" Luke made a gun out of his fingers and pointed at his head.

"No, Dad."

"Where is the young Prince of the Underworld?"

"Getting checked out. Logan blindsided him with a chair."

"But I take it Zacchara wound up the victor?"

"Yeah. He beat the hell out of Logan, then tried to shoot him in the head."

"And you stopped him? Why?"

"Dad!"

"I'm just saying, gumdrop. One less Baldwin… You know," Luke said, "why don't you date him? Anyone who tries to kill a Baldwin in my book is a-ok."

Lulu threw him a shocked look. "What? Are you serious?"

Luke looked her up and down. "I wasn't but obviously you are."

She blushed furiously at his observation. "Dad…"

"Lulu, he saved my life. He's saved yours twice. He wanted to shoot Logan. I guess… I guess if you like him that much, he deserves a shot. Right?"

"Really?" Tears filled Lulu's eyes. "You'd be okay with Johnny? I mean, if he wants me, of course," she said.

"If it makes you happy, pumpkin, then go for it. Besides, what's this 'if he wants me' stuff? Johnny would be foolish not to be crazy about you."

She sighed. She was too tired to explain that he was crazy about her – there was that whole "keeping her safe because of him" thing that Luke didn't need to know about right now. He didn't need the extra stress. Lulu curled up next to him in the bed. "I love you, Daddy."

"Love you too, sweetheart."


	9. 8: Daddy Dearest

_A/N: I know I don't thank you all personally, but I do appreciate everyone who comments on the story. It makes me very happy and helps the ideas flow knowing that people enjoy it. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I had some major writer's block in trying to figure out how I wanted it to play out. Now, just a little pimpage: I'm a mod at another Brandon Barash/Johnny Z board. I'd love if ya'll would come over and hang there to. Post your stories, videos, just chat, etc. The more the merrier! _

_http://brandonbarash (dot) proboards62 (dot) com/index (dot) cgi_

_(hope ya'll can figure that out!)_

_Now for a scene that Bbananular said would be very interesting to read: Johnny and Luke. :) I'm not a big fan of this chapter because of the writer's block, but I hope it's okay._

**Chapter 8: Daddy Dearest**

Johnny was not appreciating his situation. He had never been injured in such a way that he needed to use crutches before and he was having a hell of a time trying to maneuver with them. He had come to the conclusion that using crutches was equivalent to torture.

"Okay, Mr. Zacchara," Nadine said, as she finished showing him how to use said crutches, "now you're all set. Dr. Scorpio will be back in a few minutes to give you a once over and then you should be free to go."

The door to his room creeped open and a doctor with his nose in a file entered. "John Zacchara?"

"I'm sorry, doctor, but this is Dr. Scorpio's patient," Nadine said. "He's already been taken care of."

"It's okay, nurse. Dr. Scorpio had an emergency and she asked me to look in on him for her."

"Alright," she replied, giving the doctor a curious look as his nose was still in the chart. "Ah, are you new here, doctor?"

"No, no. Been here for ages," he said, not looking up. "Just trying to get all the information I need on the patient is all."

"Fine. If you need anything," she said, turning to Johnny, "just press the call button."

"Thank you, Nadine. I will," he replied. She left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Thank god, I thought she'd never leave," Luke said, slumping down in the chair next to Johnny's bed.

Johnny rolled his eyes. He really wasn't all that surprised that Luke had escaped his room again after the last escapade. "Spencer, what the hell are you doing out of bed?"

"What? I can't come speak to the guy who saved my daughter's life from a knuckle scraping ape of a man?" Luke rubbed his chin as he checked out Johnny. "My daughter is fond of you for some reason."

"The feeling is not mutual," Johnny snapped. He didn't want to talk about Lulu, especially around her father.

"Really? Then why do you come galloping in on your white horse every time she gets in trouble?"

"So you would rather me leave her and her friend alone next time they're getting beat up by a maniac? Fine, I'll do it."

"Tsk, tsk, junior. You need to work on your poker face. You're never gonna get far in your business looking the way you do."

"What are you talking about? And don't call me 'junior'."

"You wear your heart on your sleeve. Your lips say one thing, but your eyes say another."

"Oh yeah? So what do my eyes say, then?"

"That you care about my daughter in a – how do I put this delicately – a hot and sweaty kind of way."

Johnny flushed at Luke's blunt description. "Are you sure you didn't have a stroke? Cause you're way out in left field on that one."

"Yeah," Luke replied, leaning forward. "Sure. Remember: lips and eyes."

"You know what? I don't want anything to do with your daughter. I was just in the right place at the right time today. That's all."

"Oh." Luke's eyes opened wide in realization. "Oooohh. I get it."

"Now what?"

"I know what you're doing with Lulu. Dangerous business, want to keep her safe, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Heard the story a billion times. Heck, I probably created that story."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Johnny replied through clenched teeth.

"You're eyes are giving you away again, kid."

He snorted. "At least now I know where Lulu gets the annoying gene from."

"Yep, and she learned from the best," he replied proudly.

Johnny sighed in defeat. "Okay, so what do you want to hear? That I care about Lulu? That I like her? All I know is that it doesn't matter what I feel. I have to keep her alive. And the only way to do that is to keep away from her."

"Let me tell you something, son. You remind me of me. Stubborn, passionate, and just a tad bit crazy. Not as crazy as your old man, but crazy enough. I was in the mob for years. When my wife Laura was around, the safest she could be was with me."

"I'm sorry, I don't share that opinion. Things are different now."

"Let me give you a piece of advice –"

Luke never got to finish his sentence. Johnny's door came crashing open, and a furious Scott Baldwin came storming in.

"You son of a bitch! I'm going to have you arrested for assault and battery, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon!"

"What for," Johnny asked, nonchalantly.

"For assaulting my son! He has a broken nose, 3 broken ribs, 15 stitches in his head and 2 black eyes. Not to mention you tried to shoot him!"

Luke looked over at Johnny. "You did all that?" Johnny just shrugged as if to say, _Yeah. No big deal_. "Niiiice," he replied with a smile.

"Shut up, Spencer. What the hell are you doing out of bed anyway?"

"Congratulating this young man for doing to your son what should have been done long ago."

"My son –"

"Enough," Johnny yelled, ending Scott and Luke's argument. "Now you listen here, Baldwin. There will be no lawsuit unless you want you and your son's name dragged through the mud."

"Oh yeah? How's that?"

"Well, it's his word versus mine. And Lulu's. And Georgie's. And Mike's. You do know Georgie is the Police Commissioner's daughter right? Oh, and let's not forget Maxie. She's not a big fan of Logan's either, correct? So I'm sure she'd be happy to explain that little bet they had over Lulu. As a matter of fact, I bet we could get Lulu and Georgie to sue Logan for assault and battery, since he's the one who started this whole thing by grabbing Lulu and shoving Georgie."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try to arrest me and you'll see what happens. Now get out of my room before I call hospital security." Scott turned and exited without another word, slamming the door behind him.

"That was interesting," Luke said.

"He won't try anything," Johnny replied. "He can't afford the bad publicity."

"Well, I'm a little tuckered out. I think it's time to head back to my room. Thanks for the talk," he said, slowly getting up from the chair.

"Do you want me to call a nurse?"

"Nah, they said to walk a bit each day. Supposed to help with the healing or some crap like that."

As Luke opened to door to exit, Johnny stopped him. "Wait, you said you had a piece of advice for me."

"I did," he asked with a grin. "I don't remember. See you around, junior." He closed the door behind him.

"Don't call me 'junior'," Johnny sighed.

Luke was smiling as he slowly made his way back to his room. He figured that Johnny would figure everything out in the end himself. He was a smart boy. And Luke actually liked him. He couldn't wait to see how the situation between Lulu and Johnny was going to work out. _He's going to need more than advice_, he thought with a grin. _Lulu's gonna chew him up and spit him out. I give him two weeks, tops, before she breaks him_.


	10. 9: Avoiding the Issue

_A/N: No JoLu this chapter, but I smell a confrontation next chapter ;) This chapter is dedicated to Bbananular in honor of her birthday (sorry I got it up to so late!)_

**Chapter 9: Avoiding the Issue**

Lulu woke up in confusion, not sure where she was. When her mind cleared, she realized that she had fallen asleep on one of the couches in the waiting area. Her dad had been taken for more tests, and Johnny was still busy with the doctor. So Lulu sat down, and the next thing she knew, she was waking up with a stiff neck.

She slowly got up, working out the kinks in her joints. She saw Robin working on some charts behind the nursed desk and made her way over to her.

"Hey, Robin."

"Oh, hey, Lulu. You're still here?"

"Yeah, I was visiting my dad for a bit and then waiting to see how Johnny was doing. Could you tell me what room he's being examined in?"

Robin bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I discharged him about half an hour ago."

Lulu's face fell, but she composed herself quickly.

"But he did ask about you before he left," Leyla interrupted, overhearing their conversation. "He saw you were sleeping and didn't want to bother you. I told him about your wrist and that you were just fine."

"'Didn't want to bother me'," she muttered to herself. "I'm sure." To Leyla, she said, "Thanks for updating him. I appreciate it." She walked away from the station, dialing her cell phone as she made her way toward the elevator. When the other line picked up, she said, "You won't believe what Johnny did now."

* * *

When Johnny finally left the hospital, it was almost 4:00pm. The whole day had just passed him by. He was still a bit hung-over from last night, had a crazy headache, his knee throbbed to no end and, somehow, he was both starving and nauseous at the same time. As he got in the car, he told his driver, "Take me to Kelly's."

The driver turned around with a quizzical look on his face. "Are you sure you want to do that, boss?"

"Listen, I haven't eaten all day and I still need a freakin' cup of coffee." Plus, he wanted to make sure Georgie was all right. He saw Lulu at the hospital briefly – but she didn't see him. She had apparently fallen asleep in the waiting area while waiting to see how he was doing. He got one of the nurses to fill him in on her condition, and then he slipped away quietly.

"Whatever you say, boss."

The pulled up to Kelly's 10 minutes later. Johnny had shifted one of his crutches to the side so he could open the door when it swung open, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry – chivalrous one! It's you, " Spinelli exclaimed, as Johnny tried to regain his balance.

Johnny raised an eyebrow at his nickname. "'Chivalrous one'?"

"Well, in light of recent events, Wise Georgie stated that calling you the 'septic son' would no longer be acceptable, especially since you saved her and Fair Lulu from the evil clutches of the knucklescraper. For that, the Jackal will always be in your debt." He stuck out his hand in a gesture of friendship.

"I'm going to have to thank Georgie for that, I think," he replied, accepting the handshake.

"As much as I would like to stay and discuss the events of the day, I must rush off to Stone Cold," Spinelli said, opening the door so Johnny could enter Kelly's with no problems.

"Thanks," Johnny said. As Spinelli turned to leave, he stopped him. "Hey, could I ask you for a favor?"

"Sorry, kind rescuer. The Jackal only works for Stone Cold and the Godfather. If I were to partake in business of their enemy…" He trailed off in fear.

"No, no", he said, trying to stifle a laugh. "Something personal. Not business related."

"I think that would be okay."

"Could you hack into General Hospital's billing department? I want to get all of Georgie's and Lulu's bills from today sent to me."

"But shouldn't their insurance take care of everything?"

"It should, but Lulu's dad is going to be in the hospital for god knows how long and Georgie's sister was just attacked – I'm sure their insurance companies are swamped. Plus, I just want to do something nice for them after all the crap they've been through. Just don't mention it to either of them. This is between me and you. Is that okay?"

Spinelli gave him a shy smile. "That's okay by me. I will get right on it!" He bowed and took his leave.

Georgie smiled as she saw Johnny talking to Spinelli in the doorway. Her smile turned to a frown when she saw him make his way to the counter.

"Oh, Johnny," she sighed. "Look at yourself."

"It's not as bad as it looks. I'm more worried about you," he said, taking a seat.

"Just a bump on the head. No concussion or anything. I'm fine," she replied, pouring him some coffee. "Can I get you anything else?"

He put in an order to go and took a sip from his mug. "Now that's what I've been waiting all day for."

Georgie just smiled as she proceeded to wipe down the counter. "So," she said casually, "have you seen Lulu since this afternoon?"

"No, but I got an update on her condition from the nurses. She'll be fine."

"So, you saved her from Logan, made sure she got to the hospital –"

"Forced to go to the hospital is more like it."

Georgie snorted. "Like you would have gotten far on that busted knee of yours. Like I was saying, saved her from Logan, got her to the hospital, got yourself busted up in the process, check to make sure I'm okay and yet you didn't even bother to check on Lulu?" _It sounds worse now than when she told me over the phone before!_

"Lulu and I… can't see each other any more. I've been trying to get that through to her, but she's as thick as a brick."

"Why exactly is that?"

"It's not safe for her to be around me."

"Oh give me a freaking break," Georgie exclaimed. "Lulu has grown up around the mob her entire life. What makes you think you're so special?"

Johnny was taken aback a bit at her outburst. He recovered quickly, saying, "Well, my handlers have already kidnapped her once, my father tried to kill her and everyone else, and she's already been shot at since I've taken over the business. It's not safe."

"Let's see. You no longer have handlers because you're in charge. Your father is incapacitated."

"What about being shot at?"

Georgie shrugged. "Well, she's been kidnapped before and shot guns herself. She's friends with Jason and Sonny. It comes with the territory. I think you underestimate her."

"So what am I going to do the next time someone shoots at her because of me? Or uses her to get to me? What happens if she dies because of me?

"And what happens if she dies in a car crash? Or if she gets cancer? Or that crazy Text Message Killer gets her? All are horrible things and have the same exact chance of happening as the things you describe. Are you really going to live your life according to 'what ifs'?"

Johnny pondered Georgie's argument for a minute. She made some valid points. Would he be destined to be alone just because of his fears? Regular life could be just as dangerous as mob life – albeit in different ways. She got him thinking. But the fear won out. His nightmare from this morning was still fresh in his memory. Johnny sighed. "It's not that easy."

"God! And you called Lulu thick. You're worse."

At that moment, Mike came out with Johnny's food. "Here you go, son. On the house."

"Mike, I can't accept that –"

"I don't want to hear it. After what you did today, you at least deserve a free meal."

"Can I at least pay for any damages that I caused this afternoon?"

"What? One broken chair," he snorted. "No way. I'm billing Logan for that." The three of them had a laugh at that.

"Well," Johnny said, climbing back on his crutches, "I'm off. Thanks for the meal." He looked at the container wondering how he was going to get it to the car while hobbling along on the crutches. Georgie noticed his dilemma and jumped in.

"I'll walk you out to the car."

The short trek was made in silence. When they got to the car, Georgie opened the door and helped him get settled. Before he left, she spoke up. "Listen, Johnny – I don't care how dangerous or whatever your life is. You made a new friend today. From what I've seen you're a good guy. You deserve the best."

"You know, you're the second person today to say that."

"Well, it must be true." She leaned down to look him in the eye. "Just think about what I said earlier. Don't wind up alone and miserable thinking about the 'what ifs'. You'll end up as crazy as your father was."

She closed the door before he could answer, leaving him with that nugget of wisdom to feast on.


	11. 10: Confrontations

_A/N: Okay, I was not happy with the first version of Chapter 10, so I did a little editing/rewrite. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 10: Confrontation**

By time Johnny made it home, he was exhausted. He didn't even eat his free meal from Kelly's – he gave it to his driver. Trevor tried to corner him when he entered the mansion, but Johnny ignored him and went straight up to his room and passed out. Unfortunately, sleep was not his friend again this night. He had another nightmare of Lulu being hurt. This time, instead of being shot, she had been kidnapped and put on one of his boats that was receiving a shipment. His enemies then blew up the boat with her on it. He woke up in a sweat, heart racing. There would be no rest for the weary.

When he made his way down to the office, Trevor finally cornered Johnny and read him the riot act. He really didn't pay much attention to Trevor while he ranted… his mind was on his bad dreams versus what Georgie had told him.

"Staying out all night? A little irresponsible."

"What's this about getting in a brawl? I tell you to stay away from that girl and your fighting over her?"

"… nobody is going to want to do business with someone so out of control…"

"You can't keep doing whatever you want! You're running the business now…"

"Your father would kill you if he saw how you were slowly destroying this organization."

"You have to make this your priority!"

Finally Johnny sighed and said, "Are you finished reaming me yet?"

"John," Trevor responded, voice soothing, "I'm just trying to look out for your well being and the well being of this organization."

"Are you sure you're not just trying to make sure I don't make _you_ look bad?"

"It's not about me, John, it's about you. I'm just here to help you ease into the business. But you have to learn responsibility."

"And you have to learn to follow my orders."

"Of course, John," he replied with a false smile. "After all, you are the new boss."

"Right," Johnny said, eyeing Trevor suspiciously. Every day, he became more certain that Trevor was up to something. But he didn't know what yet. "Anything else you need or are we done here?'

"Ah, I have some business to take care of in Manhattan today. I'm going to be gone until late tonight – actually, I probably won't be back until morning. You know how to reach me if you need me."

"I know, and I won't."

After Trevor left, Johnny finally relaxed – as much as he could with all that was on his mind. Over the next few hours, he tried to get some semblance of work done, but he was just too distracted to accomplish much. Finally, his phone vibrated and he decided to take a break and check who it was.

_1 New Message_

_Lulu_

Johnny sighed. This was the third time she messaged him – once last night, once this morning and now. She wanted to know how he was doing, and each message she sent sounded increasingly angrier than the one before. That could be because he hadn't answered her yet. And he wasn't going to – not until he could figure out what to do about her. Johnny took a deep breath and went back to work.

* * *

Lulu was furious. Johnny hadn't answered any of her messages asking how he was doing. She knew he was trying to push her out of his life, but seriously? It was kind of her fault he was hurt in the first place – she just wanted to make sure he was okay. Not to mention she was a little aggravated that he hadn't bothered to check on her. And asking a nurse about her condition didn't count. It was impersonal. And she didn't care he was trying to push her away or if she was being childish – but Lulu thought she at least deserved a phone call or response.

All Lulu wanted was for Johnny to give in to his attraction to her. Stop thinking that something bad was going to happen. Logan already proved that danger doesn't always have ties to the mob. She just wanted him to hold her and tell her things were going to be okay.

After everything that happened – Logan and Maxie, the Black and White Ball, her father and the break-up with Logan yesterday – she was barely holding it together. And who was the one who came to her rescue each time? Johnny. And then who would flip like a switch and run away right after? Johnny. And she was getting sick of this game.

So now, instead of worrying about how to get Johnny to come to his senses, she was pissed off and itching for a fight. And she was going to get one.

* * *

A few hours later, he still barely got done half of what he should have, his head was pounding and his knee was throbbing. Johnny hadn't taken any of his prescription; he wasn't fond of taking drugs, even medicine – especially ones that had a tendency for addiction, like Percocet. But at this point, the pain was getting almost unbearable, and he broke down and took it. The minute he swallowed the water and pill, his stomach rumbled. Almost in shock, Johnny realized he hadn't eaten anything since the day before yesterday. Between the nightmare yesterday morning, throwing up afterwards, the brawl with Logan and then spending the day at the hospital, all he had was the cup of coffee from Kelly's. He looked at his watch – it was already 7:00pm. The whole day had flown by again and he felt like he had accomplished nothing – work related or personal. He sighed and decided to forget about everything for the rest of the night. Before he could pick up the phone to ring the kitchen for some dinner, one of the guards knocked on the door and poked his head in the room.

"Boss?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Lulu Spencer here to see you."

_Well there goes my appetite again._ "Tell her I'm not taking any visitors today."

The guard went back into the hall to relay the message. He heard Lulu's muffled voice getting more agitated. Then he heard a very loud non-feminine voice groan – and then silence. Next, the door swung wide open and Lulu stormed towards the desk.

"Not taking any visitors today, huh? Want to make a bet?" Her face was flashing with fury; to Johnny she looked beautiful showing such passion. But he was still so mixed up, he tried to push that thought to the back of his mind.

He peeked around her to see his guard crumpled on the floor, groaning and holding a very sensitive area. He looked back to Lulu and said, "Did you have to castrate Tommy?"

She shrugged. "When he told me you weren't seeing anyone, I didn't care. I was going to see you anyway. He got in my way."

Johnny tried hard to keep from laughing. Tommy was 6'5" and 250lbs and he was brought down by a 5'3", 120lb. slip of a girl. Maybe he should look into new guards… He cleared his throat and picked up the phone. "Yeah, Pete, I need some help with Tommy downstairs… No, I need someone to help him to one of the guest rooms. And bring an icepack." He hung up and looked at Lulu. "So what was so incredibly important that you had to see me so badly?"

"So, you go visit Georgie and see how she's doing, but you completely ignore me? And you couldn't bother yourself with letting me know how _you_ are? I had to hear it second hand?"

Okay, so she was pissed. And her attitude put Johnny directly in "push-away-mode". "What's the matter, Lulu, jealous?"

"No. Just annoyed that you couldn't be bothered to make sure I was okay. Especially when I waited around all day just to make sure you were!"

"A nurse updated me on your condition. There was no need to see you. As a matter of fact, I thought I told you – "

"Yeah, keep away, it's not safe, blah, blah, blah. You know, you're starting to sound like a broken record."

"Well maybe if you listened to me, I wouldn't have to repeat myself so much!"

"And maybe if you got your head out of your ass and realized what was right in front of you, you wouldn't be so uptight all the time!"

_Jesus Christ_, Johnny thought. _I need a drink to deal with this. _He got up slowly and limped towards the bar off the side of the desk.

"What are you doing," Lulu exclaimed. "Where are your crutches?"

"I'm only moving like a foot. Calm down." He put some ice in a glass, poured himself 3 fingers of scotch and went to take a sip – only to have the glass snatched out of his hand a second later. "What the hell?"

Lulu grabbed the bottle from the bar, too. "What painkillers did Robin give you?"

Johnny sighed. He seemed to do that a lot when it came to her. "Lulu –"

"What painkillers did Robin give you," she repeated.

"Percocet."

"Did you take any today?"

"A little while ago."

"And you were going to drink and use oxycodone? Smart, Johnny, real smart."

He flushed at her condescending tone. "I already had a mother once, Lulu. I don't need another."

"I'm not trying to be your mother. I'm trying to understand why you're not using your brain. Mixing alcohol and narcotics is not smart! Do you want to kill yourself?"

"If you don't shut up, I just might want to."

They glared at each other for a minute before Lulu put the drinks down and threw up her hands. "You know what? Do whatever you want. Live, die, be a cripple – I don't care." She turned away to leave.

"Wait," Johnny said, grabbing her arm uninjured to prevent her flight. "Hold on one second."

"Are you taking lessons from Logan," she snarled. "Let go of me!" She jerked her arm out of his grasp. Already being off balance from only being able to use one leg, Johnny pitched forward when she pulled away. He fell into the desk, smashing his injured knee along the side. He blanched and crumbled to the floor.

Lulu gasped and flew to his side. "Johnny! Oh my god, are you okay? I'm sorry!"

He gritted his teeth against the pain and nausea. "Help me up and over to the couch."

Very carefully, Lulu looped his arm around her neck and gently helped Johnny to his feet. They slowly moved across the room, Johnny dragging his bad leg behind him as to not put any weight on it. When she got him settled on the couch, she placed pillows under his knee and foot to keep it raised. "You need ice. Where's the kitchen?"

"Down the hall to the right."

"I'll be right back."

Johnny didn't do anything while she was gone except to concentrate on not vomiting from the pain. He didn't even notice Lulu come back into the room until he felt her roll up his pant leg. She took off the brace and ace bandage that was wrapped around his knee and gasped when she saw it. It was swollen and a lovely shade of blue and purple. "Oh, Johnny. I'm sorry. This is all my fault." She carefully laid the ice pack on his knee.

"Stop it," he snapped. "It's not your fault. It's Logan's fault. He should have never touched you."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Finally, Lulu broke the stillness. "Johnny," she said softly, "why can't we have a conversation without arguing anymore?"

"Because we both want different things and we're both too stubborn to give in to the other person's wishes."

"That's where you're wrong. We both want the same thing."

"What's that?"

"Each other."

"No, I want you to be safe."

"Drop the act, Johnny. You care about me. What was it you said? 'The rest of my life is garbage, but when you're around… I don't want to lose you.' That's what you told me."

"Exactly. Which is why I want you to be safe! And staying away from me – "

She shut him up by leaning forward and kissing him. It was slow and sweet and unlike either of their previous kisses. Her hands cupped his face and his hand reached up and curled in her hair. After a minute they broke apart, both a little out of breath and glassy eyed. Johnny didn't even notice the pain in his knee anymore.

"I don't want to lose you either," Lulu said. "That's why I keep fighting with you. That's why we keep arguing."

"Lulu, what do you want to hear? That I've had nightmares of you being shot to death in my arms and being blown up because of me?"

Her heart ached at that admission. That's why he was trying so hard to keep his distance. "Those are only dreams. Your fears are being projected into crazy nightmares that are not going to happen! You need to stop worrying about what 'could' happen and worry about what's right in front of you."

"What's right in front of me is someone who's going to get hurt as a result of my life."

Lulu was getting nowhere. She was going about this the wrong way. What she needed to do was to get through to him that she could handle the danger – she'd already been though much worse.

"Okay, so answer me this, Johnny. Is me staying away from you going to protect me the next time there's a deadly epidemic running through town?"

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Have you been watching too much 'House' or something?"

Lulu just looked at him.

"Oh come on, Lulu! What's the chance of that ever happening? A million to one?"

"Well, guess who pulled those odds a year and a half ago."

"What are you talking about?"

"My father came back from one of his trips with a present: a deadly virus called encephalitis. They didn't find an antidote right away and few people died. I was almost one of them. Could you have protected me from that?"

"That's a highly unusual and extreme case." Johnny wasn't budging.

"Okay," she replied, not ready to give up yet, "take this example then. I was accidentally kidnapped by Lorenzo Alcazar. Accidentally! I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I still got kidnapped by a rival mob family. And, in order to make sure I didn't talk, the order was given to kill me."

"So?"

"'So'," she repeated. "I was kidnapped by the mob, not because of Sonny and certainly not because of you. It comes with the territory of living in Port Charles."

"And since living in Port Charles is so perilous, you don't need my life adding extra danger to yours."

Now it was her turn to sigh. "Johnny, I've been kidnapped and shot at long before I ever met you. Even if you were out of my life, it would _still happen_. My dad is a schemer, and I'm friends with the Corinthos/Morgan organization. Do you really think life is going to be all roses for me?"

Johnny's resolve was finally beginning to crumble. Lulu was making some valid points. But he wasn't ready to give up the fight just yet.

"So what do you think a serial killer running around town is? Or having to worry about Logan? Whether he's going to go psycho if we bump into each other again? Or a million other things that could happen to me just because of life in general? Stop making excuses, Johnny."

"That sounds like something Georgie told me earlier."

"Spinelli calls her 'Wise Georgie' for a reason, you know," she replied, a hopeful smile gracing her features. She paused for a minute. "Don't you want a family, Johnny," Lulu asked suddenly.

"What," he asked, taken off guard by the extremely personal question.

"A family. Wife, children, etc. Do you want one of your own?"

"That's a loaded question. I would love to have a family someday. I just don't know if it's possible."

"So you're going to give that all up. Waking up next to the person you love every day. Missing a child's first steps and words. Missing the excitement of Christmas morning with little children rushing to open presents. Never having anyone to confide your dreams and fears to."

Johnny turned his face away. He did want a family… badly. He wanted to give them what he didn't have – a loving father. A mother. Happiness and comfort. This was a subject that hit him harder than he ever thought it would. He couldn't reply to Lulu's statement – if he opened his mouth, he just might start crying.

Johnny's silence was deafening. Her eyes filled with tears and she fought to breathe. Suddenly, the fight left her and she felt exhausted and defeated. There was nothing that she, Carly or Georgie could do or say. Johnny was determined to keep her away and that was that. "Okay," she said, standing up. "Take care of your knee." She walked towards the door to leave.

He turned back around to watch her depart. There was something off about her now, though. This wasn't the walk of a strong, confident woman; it was the walk of a broken little girl. He did that to her. He broke her. The person walking out of his office was not Lulu Spencer. It was an empty shell. Like he was. He had nothing in this life but the business and Lulu. And he was learning that she was the more important of the two. Lulu made him feel alive when she was around. She was the only bright spot in his universe, and he just snuffed out that star. It killed Johnny that he caused this transformation.

A new resolve came over him. Things were going to change. He was going to change. He wanted to feel alive all the time. He wanted Lulu. He didn't want to be an empty shell the rest of his life. Johnny wasn't going to deny himself any longer. Ignoring the pain in his knee (and his crutches), he launched off the couch and rushed after her – half limping, half dragging his leg behind him.

"Lulu! Lulu, wait!"

She was almost to the front door when she heard Johnny calling her. She wiped the tears off her cheeks. "What," she said, not turning around.

Now Johnny was at a loss for words. What did he say to her now? "I'm starving. Would you come to dinner with me?"

She turned around, confused. "What? Wait – Johnny where are your crutches," she asked, rushing over to help him keep his balance.

"I was in a hurry," he replied with a smirk. "So, dinner?"

Lulu eyed him warily. "Why? You actually want to be seen in public with me? Aren't you afraid I may be taken out by a sniper," she said bitterly.

He shut her up by kissing her. When he broke away, he laid his forehead against hers and said quietly, "I remember pulling a gun on Logan because he made you cry. Now I made you cry."

More tears streamed down her cheeks. "Yeah, well…"

Johnny wiped them away with his thumbs. "As 'Wise Georgie' once told me, I have to stop living my life according to 'what ifs'." He smiled, a real genuine smile. It felt like a weight had been lifted from him shoulders. He was so worried about keeping Lulu safe and pushing her away, he couldn't let himself have what he really wanted. "Otherwise, I'll wind up alone and miserable and as crazy as my old man. Her words not mine."

Lulu gave a small smile. "Wise Georgie."

"We're taking a big risk, you know, especially you."

"Risk?"

"The risk of being together despite who I am."

She put her hand on his cheek. "You're worth it."

He turned his head to kiss her palm. "You think that much of me? Despite everything?"

"Everything you've done has been for my best interest. Whether or not I agree with it is a different story, but you always fought for what you believed in. How could I not think the world of you?"

Johnny felt it hard to breathe. He never felt like this before. Someone having this level of trust in him. It was overwhelming. "All I've done is try to push you away. What good could I have possibly done to deserve you?"

"You always do what's right, Johnny," she said simply and leaned down to kiss him again.


	12. 11: A Date?

_A/N: Sorry about the lateness! A one shot popped in my head and then I wasn't sure where this chapter was going yet. But now I do. I'm also sorry it's so short, (it's actually my least favorite chapter that I've written) but it's more of a lead up to the next chapter. That and I'm also working on Ch. 2 of Pain since ya'll talked me into continuing it! LOL Enjoy!_

**Chapter 11: A Date?**

"Listen," Trevor said into the phone, "Johnny is beyond distracted. He's too focused on the Spencer girl to keep his head in the game."

"So what do you want me to do," the voice on the other end said.

"First thing's first. Did you get in touch with her?"

"A few days ago. She should be in Port Charles later today."

"Good, good. She should help Johnny focus himself."

"What about the girl?"

"I'm not sure yet. Scope her out. Shadow her. Find out what her routine is. How much of it revolves around Johnny. If she's too much in his life, we're going to have to take her out."

"You want me to kill her?"

Trevor thought for a minute. "No, not yet. She might be useful in persuading Johnny to do what he's told. Report back to me at the end of the week and we'll go from there. When the time comes, we'll grab her and hide her where he can't find her. And we'll make it seem like Corinthos is behind it. It'll be perfect."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Get back to me when you have some information."

Trevor hung up the phone. If Johnny was going to insist on not following the rules, they were going to have to lean on him a little. Trevor would be the head of the Zacchara organization if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

The first thing Carly noticed when Johnny and Lulu entered the Metro Court was not that they were together, but that Johnny looked like he got hit by a truck.

"What the hell happened to you," she asked walking up to the both of them.

"Well, as you know, I was planning on breaking up with Logan yesterday."

"'Was planning'? Did you go through with it?"

Lulu nodded and held up her bandaged wrist. "He didn't like it."

"Oh my god, sweetie," Carly said, grabbing her shoulders and patting her down like a mother hen to make sure she wasn't injured anywhere else. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere else?" Johnny smirked at the scene.

"I'm fine, Carly," Lulu replied, pushing her arms away. "Thanks to Johnny that is. He also prevented Georgie from getting hurt worse than she did. She tried to get Logan away from me and he wound up pushing her down and she hit her head."

"So you saved Lulu and Georgie, but got the hell beat out of you instead?"

"Nah," Johnny replied. "I only got a few stitches in my head and a banged up knee. According to Scott, who wanted to have me arrested for beating up his son, Logan has a broken nose, 3 broken ribs, 15 stitches and 2 black eyes."

"Not to mention a split lip and a tooth knocked out," Lulu added with a grin. "What," she said when Johnny stared at her. "Spinelli hacked into the GH computer system for me. I even printed out the report for posterity."

Carly nodded in approval. "Nice job," she said looking at him. "I knew I liked you for a reason."

"You like Johnny?" Lulu was amazed Even after their discussion the other day, she was sure the older girl wasn't that fond of him.

"He grew on me," she replied, with a shrug.

"Okay, at this point, nothing will cease to amaze me!" She turned to Johnny. "Can we go eat now? I'm starving!"

"Why don't you go grab a table," Carly said, steering Lulu towards the dining room. "I want to have a word with your boy over here."

Lulu gave her an _I don't think so_ look. Carly just rolled her eyes and said, "Don't worry. I won't bite, I promise. Go," she stated with a little push.

As soon as they were alone, Carly turned to Johnny and said, "Okay. Spill."

"What?"

"Yesterday morning you were begging me to help keep her away from you. Now? You went from snarling at her to walking in here with her? What's going on?"

"A very smart person told me that life was unpredictable and to quit worrying about the 'what ifs'. I'm taking her advice. And I already feel freer than I did before."

"What about the danger caused by your line of work? I'm familiar with it, don't forget."

"Yes, and so is Lulu. I'm beginning to think she's safer with me than without."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm more worried about the Logans and Text Message Killers of the world than people in my business. I mean, what would have happened to her if I wasn't there to stop him yesterday?"

Suddenly, Carly flung herself at Johnny and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

"Um…" he said, awkwardly patting her back. "What for?"

"For not making me not be in the middle."

"Middle of what?"

Carly pulled back with a smile on her face. "You and Lulu."

"Yeah. Still not understanding."

"Lulu asked me to help her break past whatever you were doing to keep her away. You asked me to make sure I helped keep Lulu away from you. But you both solved it on your own. I didn't have to do anything!" She made a noise that was a mix between a sigh and a giggle. "So thank you," she said, spreading her arms wide. "I'm free! I feel so much better now."

"Excuse me, Mrs. Jacks," one of the hotel attendants interrupted. "Mr. Jacks is on the phone for you."

"Okay, thank you," she replied. As she walked away, she looked over her should and said, "By the way, Johnny, don't hurt her. I don't want to have to kill you myself." Johnny just stared at her as she walked away. Carly Jacks was certainly an interesting woman.

When he got to the table, Lulu was waiting for him. "What was that all about?"

"Carly just wanted to thank me for saving you from Logan."

"And she hugged you? For that?" Johnny gave her a look. "What? I could see you from over here, you know."

"What can I say? She likes me now. Be happy."

Lulu slid closer to him and puts her hand on his leg. She looked into his eyes and noticed that they are brighter than they've been in a long time. "I am happy. Extremely happy."

"Yeah," he replied, almost with awe in his voice. "I am too. I thought that keeping you away would be the most important thing – that knowing you wouldn't be hurt would be enough to keep me happy. But being alone – it just made me miserable."

"What about now?"

"Now – now there are no words to describe how I feel. And I wouldn't want it any other way." He leaned in to give her a soft kiss.

"Well," Lulu replied after the broke apart, "it's about time you came to your senses." She grew teary again. "I was planning on fighting tooth and nail to get you, but after tonight…I thought I was going to have to let you go for good."

"Even if you did, I don't think I could have stayed away."

Her eyes twinkled at that admission. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Because I never know what to expect when I'm with you. I never know what I'm going to get on any given day. You're stubborn, rebellious –"

"Hello," Lulu interrupted, "says the pot to the kettle!"

"I wasn't finished. Where was I? Ah, yes. Pigheaded, nosy –"

"Hey! These are not good things, you know."

"Smart, caring, trusting and beautiful," he finished. "And those are all the bits I like."

"Yeah, well, you better like all those parts," she grumbled, blushing a bit. She scooted in closer and Johnny put his arm around her shoulders.

"I think my life is going to be very interesting with you in it, Lulu Spencer," he stated, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here," a voice questioned.

Johnny and Lulu were so engrossed in each other that they never noticed the person walk over to their table. Johnny looked up, irritated that the romantic mood had been broken. He was about to make a nasty retort until he saw who the person actually was. Confused and a bit shocked, he slid away from Lulu and slowly hobbled to stand up.

"Claudia?!"


	13. 12: Ms Zacchara

_A/N: Hee! I was planning on bringing in Claudia since the beginning. I have such wonderful plans for her! I think her and Lulu are going to get along just fine – but I'm foreseeing a run-in with Logan later ;) I'm also writing her back-story a little different than the current story line on the show. Sorry if this chapter's a bit slow or boring. Sometimes you need filler to move the story along. Anyway, enjoy! Love to all who have already read and reviewed!_

**Chapter 12: Ms. Zacchara**

"Claudia?" Johnny hobbled over to the woman standing in front of the table. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, John," the dark haired woman said with a smile, "it's me." She wrapped him up in a fierce hug. When they separated, she held him at arms length and stared. "My god, look how you've grown up! The pictures you sent didn't do you justice. You are a handsome fella."

"You're not looking too bad yourself." He looked down at her feet. "Well, they're pumps now, but still with the red shoes, huh?"

Lulu sat back, confused at the scene before her. Who was this woman? She looked too old to be an ex girlfriend of Johnny's, but yet she was being so familiar with him. She took a good look at the lady. Her dress was black and skin tight, hugging all her curves in the right spot. Impeccable make-up, just the right amount of jewelry. What Lulu noticed most, though, were the shoes. Fire engine red stilettos. It took guts to pull off a pair of shoes like that and pull it off is what Claudia did. _Carly would love those_, she thought.

"Lulu? Hey, earth to Lulu."

She snapped out of her daze when she heard Johnny calling her. Lulu didn't realize how intently she was staring at Claudia. "Sorry. Zoned out for a second."

"Come here for a second."

She slid out of the booth to stand next to Johnny. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. "Claudia, this is Lulu Spencer – my girlfriend."

Lulu felt warmth pool in her stomach at hearing the phrase "my girlfriend". It was really real. Her and Johnny were together. "Hi," she said, sticking out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Claudia replied with a smile. "I'm Claudia Zaccchara. John's sister."

Lulu whipped her head around to stare at Johnny. "You have a sister?"

"It's a long story," he replied with a grimace.

"One that will be told at another time as I am obviously interrupting something," Claudia said, her voice apologetic.

"No, Claud, it's been forever. Join us for dinner?"

"It's okay, sweetie, we'll catch up later. I'm going to be around for a long time," she replied, rubbing his arm. "Besides, I already ate. I'm just going to head up to my room. I'm staying in the hotel tonight and I'll be at the house tomorrow. Didn't feel like dealing with Trevor tonight."

"Does anyone ever really want to deal with Trevor?" They both shared a laugh. Johnny was amazed at how easily their camaraderie flowed after so long. Claudia leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you later little brother. Bye, Lulu." She turned to walk away.

"Wait," Lulu blurted out, feeling guilty that their dinner was the reason Claudia wasn't staying to talk to Johnny. She stopped and turned around. "I know you already ate, but would you come back and join us for dessert? Please?"

Claudia smiled. "Sure. I'll come back down in an hour."

After she walked away, Johnny and Lulu sat back down at their table. "Thank you for that," he said. "You didn't have to invite her back."

"It's obvious you haven't seen each other in a long time and she wanted to be with you. I felt like I was chasing her away."

"It's okay. We have way too much to catch up on to cover over dinner. We'll have a good, long sit down tomorrow when she's back at the house."

The conversation paused as the waiter came by with their food. They ate in silence for a few minutes until Lulu's curiosity got the best of her. "So how long has it been since you've seen Claudia?"

"About twelve years."

"Twelve years," she gasped. "How did you even recognize each other?"

Johnny put his fork down and sighed. "Like I said, it's a long story."

"Well, last time I checked, we have an hour until she comes back. Tell me."

"You won't leave me alone until I do, will you?"

"Get used to it."

"Stubborn."

"No. I just want to know all about you… and your family. You're obviously close to her, despite being apart for so long. If it's something you care about, I want to know about it," she said, laying her hand on his cheek. "I just want to know you, Johnny," she finished, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

It still shocked Johnny how amazing Lulu was. She was everything he dreamed of and more. He had a feeling he was never going to be able to deny her anything she asked for. Once she turned those big, brown eyes on him, he was lost.

"First of all, she's only my half-sister. My father had an affair with a woman before my mother. I don't know what happened to her, but Claudia was always with us. Her and my mother got along okay, but we were inseparable." Lulu put her hand in his and smiled as his face grew nostalgic. "She's 8 years older than me, but she always treated me like an equal. After my mother died when I was 8, Claudia was all I had. She was 16 and needed to grow up faster than me. But we always had that bond. I'm not sure what happened, but when she was 18 and I was 10, she was sent away by my father. He insisted that she never contact him, Trevor or me again. He sent her to work in one of the branches of the family, learning the business. Why, I have no idea since she wasn't to contact us save for business. But then again, my father's nuts, so who knows what goes on in his head. Anyway, Claudia was going to have none of that. She wanted to make sure I didn't lose another person I loved. So, when she left, she left me a letter on my pillow detailing how we were to keep in touch."

"How did you do that without anyone finding out," Lulu interrupted.

"We passed off whatever letters we sent to each other as a pen-pal project for school. She gave me a fake name to put on the envelope. No one really cared what I did in school as long as I passed, so nobody was the wiser. That's how we exchanged pictures and general things that were going on in our lives. When I started high school, things got easier. I got my own laptop and cell phone and we were able to keep in touch that way. We don't have a Spinelli to hack computer stuff and she was always calling from the different places she was doing business in, so there was no suspicion on that front. It was easy, really."

"But there was no way that you could have seen each other at all over the years?"

"Well, you saw what my life was like. I had handlers following my every move. It was kind of hard to get away. Even when I did, they would find me. You saw that first hand."

Lulu grimaced at the memories. "Yeah. Fun times."

"And while my father was still around, she couldn't come home. But now he's incapacitated…."

"And she's finally free to do what she wants."

"Exactly."

"What about Trevor? Wasn't he the one manipulating your father this whole time?"

Johnny furrowed his brow. "Yeah, I'm not sure on that yet. I'll have to ask her about that later." He paused to take a drink of water. "And that's pretty much all there is. Despite the distance, we made an effort to remain a big part of each other's lives. It was worth the sneaking around. I don't know what I would have done if I lost her completely."

"Things might have ended up very differently and I might have never known you."

"That would have been very bad," he deadpanned.

"I don't know," Lulu replied. "It would have saved me a lot of grief. Hey," she squealed as he slipped an ice cube down her shirt, "that was uncalled for!"

They both dissolved into giggles as Johnny tried to retrieve the ice cube – unsuccessfully.

* * *

"You know, I meant to ask you before," Claudia asked when she sat down with them a while later, "why does it look like you got your ass handed to you in an UFC match?"

Johnny glanced over to Lulu. "This is your story."

"Fine," she huffed, throwing Claudia an apologetic glance. "Unfortunately, it's my fault."

"This little thing kicked your ass, John?"

Lulu laughed. "Indirectly my fault," she corrected. "My ex-boyfriend did not appreciate that I had no desire to give him another chance." She held up her wrapped wrist. "He didn't like that response."

Claudia's face hardened. "And he hurt you?"

She nodded. "And one of my friends. But, thankfully, Johnny came and took care of the situation before any serious damage could be done." Lulu threw Johnny a grin. "At least to us."

"Wait – you didn't 'take care' of him, did you?"

Johnny rolled his eyes at Claudia's ridiculous comment. "Come on, Claud, you know me better."

"Just making sure. From what I've heard, the PCPD likes you a lot."

He snorted. "That's the understatement of the year."

"So what happened to this – what's his name?"

"Logan Hayes."

"Logan Hayes." Claudia filed that away for later use. "I hope he looks worse than you."

Lulu never thought she'd relish the thought of someone she used to care about getting hurt, but every time they told the story about what happened at Kelly's, a fierce rush of pleasure came over her. "Some broken bones, lost teeth, lots of stitches. You'll certainly recognize him in public for a while."

"That's my boy."

"Now it's your turn, Claudia," Johnny said, effectively changing the subject. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but why are you here now? I mean, I would have expected a call or something. And Dad's – situation – happened over a month ago. Why now?

"Trevor. He called me." She fiddled with the ice in her glass. "Apparently, you're not being a very cooperative boy."

"So, what? Trevor called you in after all this time to try and talk some sense into me?"

"No. He wants me to take over."

"What," he yelled, slamming his hand on the table. "How dare – "

Lulu put a soothing hand on Johnny's arm. "Calm down, Johnny. She's not done talking yet."

Claudia nodded her head in thanks. "Now, as I was saying, he wants me to take over. I get the feeling that he thought he could manipulate you like he did to Daddy. Then he said you were being difficult."

"I'm being difficult. Translation – Johnny has his own brain and can think for himself."

"Exactly. So he wants me to move on in and be his puppet instead."

"You think that's his plan? He can't manipulate me, so he's going to try to manipulate you?"

"I wouldn't put it past him. He's been trying to get his hands on this organization since I was a kid. He'll stop at nothing."

"I've had a feeling for the longest time that he was up to something. I just couldn't pinpoint it."

Claudia looked over to Lulu who was intently listening to their conversation. "What do you think of Trevor, Lulu?"

She looked at Claudia, startled to be included in such a familial conversation. "Well, he's creepy, for starters. I don't know him very well, but I've always felt that he tried to hard to be sincere – his words always sound slimy, like he's trying to get something. No matter what he says, it always sounds like he's lying. I wouldn't trust him with a bag of flour."

She nodded her approval. "Good instincts." Claudia turned to Johnny. "Try not to screw this up. She's sharp. I like her."

Lulu laughed as Johnny flushed at her comment. Clearing his throat, he said, "So then, what's the plan?"

"Plan," Claudia replied. "The plan is I'm going to take over – at least for Trevor's eyes. You and me will share equal duties taking care of business. I would never swoop in and take something right out from under you."

"Then what?"

"Then," she said, putting her elbows up on the table and laying her chin on her hands, "we take Trevor out. He made a mistake in calling me. I'm not the same mousy little girl he knew 12 years ago. And if he thinks he can use me like –" She paused for a minute.

"Like what," Johnny asked.

"Like I'm still a scared little girl," she continued, eyes cold, "he's in for a very nasty surprise."


	14. 13: Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me

_A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the long delay! My brain just kind of died on me :lol: I hope you all haven't forgotten about me. This chapter is a bit of filler – warning: Tons of Fluff ahead!!. And I have the feeling I'm getting a bit of OOC this time around. The next chapter will start getting REALLY good… I hope! Anyway, enjoy. Please read and review and let me know if you still love me or not!_

**Chapter 13: Matchmaker, Matchmaker Make Me A Match**

Georgie made her way to Kelly's the next morning. When she entered the establishment, she paused. Looking around, she noticed the place was spotless. It looked as if everything was already swept and dusted. The tables were set, as was the counter. The salt and pepper shakers and napkin holders were filled and the coffee had already been started. She stood in confusion. _I know I left this place a mess last night_, Georgie thought. _What happened?_

"Hey, Georgie. You gonna stand there all day or are you actually gonna come all the way in?"

She looked up in shock. "Lulu? What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I work here," she replied with a laugh.

"Yeah, but it's 8am on a Saturday! And… well, to put it kindly, you're never really on time."

Lulu rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. I'm not the best employee. But who said a cheetah couldn't change its spots?"

"Uh, God," Georgie replied with a smile. She took a moment to take in Lulu. Her eyes were bright, she was smiling and she just radiated happiness. She looked like a completely different person than even yesterday. Georgie's eyes widened in realization. "Oh my God," she squealed. "You slept with Johnny Zacchara!"

"Shhh," Lulu scolded, grabbing her arm and dragging her over to the counter. "First of all, I didn't sleep with Johnny. And second of all, if I did, I don't need you yelling about it so loud that you could knock my mother out of catatonia!"

"But something _did_ happen with Johnny," she prodded.

"Yes, something did happen with Johnny."

Georgie waited a minute before throwing her hands up in the air and saying, "Well? Are you going to make me beg?"

Lulu laughed. "Of course not! Especially since I have you to thank, now don't I?"

"What do you mean?"

"Whatever you said to Johnny the other day really got through to him. If it wasn't for you, I was going to leave the Zacchara mansion last night a heartbroken woman. So thank you," she said, wrapping Georgie up in a huge hug.

"He's a good guy," she replied, rubbing Lulu's back. "All he needed was a little perspective on the situation."

"I honestly don't know what I would have done if it didn't work out... if he had just let me go. I just feel so connected to him… I can't explain it, but I do."

"Well, it all worked out for the best, so stop worrying about it," Georgie replied sternly. "Be happy!"

"Oh, I am! I'm happier than I ever thought I could be," she said with a laugh. "I haven't felt like this… ever, I think."

"Well, now you owe me one," she said, smiling at Lulu exuberance.

"Oh, don't worry," Lulu said, a twinkle in her eye. "A plan is already in motion."

"What?"

* * *

Johnny carefully made his way down the stairs, awake before 11 am for the first time in years, probably. It was 8 o'clock in the morning, and he was on his way to meet his sister for breakfast. And – he was happy. It was a wonderful feeling.

When he entered the dining room, Claudia looked up in shock. "Well, I didn't expect to see you here this early."

"Well, you said you were going to be home in time for breakfast. I figured I'd join you," he replied with a smile.

She threw him a grin. "Yeah, right. You're just still on your high from getting the girl of your dreams."

"For all you know, we've been dating for months," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh yeah? They how come you never wrote me about her? I know you would have, which is why you haven't been with her for months," she said, accenting the words by pointing at him with her fork. "And there's also the fact that I spent a couple of hours talking to her cousin who owns the hotel after you guys left last night. I got the whole story." She laughed as Johnny squirmed in his seat like a defendant on trial. "Oh, calm down. I won't make fun of you anymore. You're still young. Enjoy being a kid for a bit."

"I can't, if you haven't forgotten," he replied with a frown. "I have to co-run this business with you."

"Hey, John, it's okay if you want to beg off and play with your girlfriend for a bit. I like her. She's got spunk."

"But Trevor is supposed to come back today. I don't want you to have to deal with him by yourself right away."

"No he's not," Claudia replied with a smile. "He called earlier saying his business in the city was going to take longer than he though. He'll be there for the entire weekend. No worries."

"Are you sure," Johnny asked. "I mean, we haven't seen each other in forever. I want to catch up."

"I know," she said, placing her hand comfortingly over his. "Don't worry, we will. I just want to get the feel of the house again and maybe go over some business stuff first. Besides," she added, "I know you probably already have plans with Lulu."

Johnny laughed. "Man, from what I heard from Uncle Rudy's correspondence, you were a cold hearted bitch. Yet in all your letters to me, and just from last night and today, you are anything but. What happened?"

"I'm only cold to those who deserve it. People who try to take me for granted, take over my territories, or hurt my family. You're my little brother, and I want to be the best sister I can be to you, family business or not. I can't make up for all the years I missed, but I can try damn hard."

"Claudia," he replied softly, "it wasn't your fault. You don't have to make up for anything."

"Yeah, but if I was here –"

"If you were here, you'd be as messed up as I was before I met Lulu. She's helped me become a better person. I know it sounds like some cheesy 80's flick, but it's true," he said with a laugh.

"Well, I'm glad things are finally looking up for you. You deserve the best, little brother. So," Claudia said, pausing to eat a bite of her breakfast, "what is actually on the agenda for today?"

Johnny looked at his sister with a wry grin. "Well, Lulu's friend Georgie – the other girl Logan hurt – likes this guy. And since Georgie helped me come to my senses about Lulu, we've decided to help her get said guy."

Claudia laughed. "You are acting just like a guy your age should. Playing matchmaker for his friends. I love it." She put her elbows on the table and leaned towards him. "So what's the plan?"

"Spinelli – that's the guy – doesn't know Lulu and I are together yet…"

* * *

"Wise Georgie, Fair Lulu, how are you lovely ladies this beautiful day?" Spinelli entered Kelly's with his usual cheer and optimism.

Lulu just smiled at the way Georgie blushed whenever Spinelli walked into the room. She knew deep down that Spin felt the same way about Georgie that she did for him. Anyone could see they were perfect for each other. It was only a matter of bringing it out. And that's what she and Johnny planned to do.

When Georgie had asked what the plan was earlier, Lulu couldn't tell her too much – just don't let on that Johnny and she were together. Johnny wanted to be the one to take care of everything. He would explain it to her as they went along, so that Georgie wouldn't try to ham it up or over act. He wanted her reactions to be as natural as possible. Lulu was excited. After all she had done to Georgie, they were still friends. She deserved to be happy, and Lulu was glad that she could amend the situation.

Johnny arrived a few minutes later, flinging the door open wide enough so that he could hobble in without getting whacked by it. The girls laughed at him as he entered.

"Yeah, thanks, guys," he grumbled. "I save your lives and what do I get? Can't even open a door for a cripple."

Lulu walked up to him and winked. She wanted to do nothing more than kiss him hello, but they couldn't break cover yet. "Aww, poor baby can't open a door by himself?"

"And now I get mocked. Do you see what I have to put up with," he asked, turning to Spinelli. He just shrugged and took a swig of his orange soda. "I held the door open for you the other day."

Georgie laughed and made her way to Johnny. "Well, I for one am thankful for the rescuing. Come sit at the counter and I'll take your order."

As they walked to the front of Kelly's together, she leaned over and whispered, "So what's the plan?"

"Just follow my lead," he replied with a wink. He took a seat at the bar and ordered a cup of coffee. Georgie brought it to him, and then walked around the counter, leaning on the counter with one seat between them. "So, Georgie, do you like cars?"

"Cars? I really don't know much about cars," she replied warily.

"I can teach you a bit," he smiled. "I've got a beauty of a classic Mustang. Come here, I'll show you a picture," he said, pulling out his phone. She moved over to him, and Johnny put his arm around her waist to hold her close.

* * *

Lulu had made herself comfortable sitting with Spinelli at his table. "So," she commented, trying to make conversation, "what do you think of this whole situation with Logan? I know, I know – I should have listened to you from the beginning."

"I would never say 'I told you so' to the fair blonde one," Spinelli admitted, "but I am ecstatic that someone finally put the knucklescraper in the hospital. Even if it was the newly christened – " He paused, looking over to where Georgie and Johnny were situated. "Chivalrous one?" His face reddened as he noticed where Johnny's arm was.

"Spinelli? Hey, are you okay," Lulu asked, noticing his change in demeanor.

"Uh, yes," he stuttered. "But, ah, should his arm be situated in such a place on Wise Georgie?"

Lulu smiled to herself. The plan was working. "Oh, it's okay. He's probably just flirting. Georgie is a looker, you know."

"Well, of course the Jackal knows Wise Georgie is fairer than an angel! That is why the devil's son should not be touching her!"

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Flipping it open, she saw a message from Johnny – he was obviously still pretending to show Georgie pictures on his phone. [iAny reaction yet?[/i

Lulu glanced over to him and surreptitiously flipped him the thumbs up sign. He nodded his head slightly and went back to work.

"Why are they whispering," Spinelli demanded.

Lulu just smiled and patted his hand comfortingly.

* * *

"How's it going," Georgie whispered when Johnny looked back to her.

"Apparently, he's getting very jealous already," he replied. "Now, don't freak out, but I'm gonna put my hand on your lower back."

"Fine. But touch my ass and your knee won't be the only thing hurting."

"Yeah, right. Except I'd be more worried about what Lulu would do than you."

"Just remember who's closer to you at this moment, buster."

* * *

Spinelli was watching the couple like a hawk. Lulu was going to say something about Georgie and Johnny looking good together, but suddenly Spinelli jumped up yelling, "Personal bubble, personal bubble, personal bubble!"

He ran over to Georgie and snatched her out of Johnny's arms so fast, he almost fell over.

"Spinelli, what is wrong with you," Georgie snapped. "I was talking to Johnny!"

"But, but … his hands were in an inappropriate area," he stuttered in reply.

"And if it was bothering me, I would have let him know."

"Well, it was bothering me! I didn't like him touching you!"

"Why not? Is it so hard to think that maybe a boy likes me?"

"No! It's just that – " Spinelli paused and then said in one big rush, "theJackalwantstobetheonetoucingyou." His eyes widened as he realized what he just blurted out.

"What was that," Georgie asked, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Uh… The Jackal wants to be the one touching you," he replied, his answer sounding more like a question. "And now that the Jackal has completely alienated himself, he'll be getting on his way." Spinelli gathered all his belongings and made his way to the door. Before he was able to leave, he heard Georgie call out his name.

"The Jackal can start by asking me out on a date."

Spinelli turned around, shocked that she wasn't disgusted or embarrassed at his admission. She just stood there with a smile on her face and her hands on her hips. When he didn't respond after a minute, she prompted, "Well?"

"Oh! Uh," he stuttered with nervous excitement, "Would you, Wise Georgie, accompany me to dinner later this evening?"

"I would love to," she replied with a smile.

"I will, uh, pick you up from your humble abode at 7?"

Georgie nodded her head in agreement. "See you then."

Spinelli then left Kelly's, a goofy grin on his face and a new outlook on the future.

After he left, Georgie let loose a squeal and ran over to where Johnny and Lulu were now standing together and threw her arms around them both. "How can I ever thank the both of you?"

"Oh, I think we're even now," Johnny replied, glancing over to Lulu and smiling.


	15. 14: Unusual Meetings

_A/N: While I'm not taking not taking too many liberties with Luke's heart recovery – I know a lot of what heart patients do – my dad had a heart attack and quadruple bypass in '99 – I am taking liberties with what Dr. Julian might have told him. So no flaming. Plus my dad still drinks like a fish Also, Claudia didn't sleep with Sonny and isn't the whore they make her out to be in my story._

_**A/N 2: Please let me know if I should continue this story or not. **_

**Chapter 14: Unusual Meetings**

_2 weeks later…_

"John!"

Johnny walked into the office at Claudia's call. His knee was much better – he still had a twinge every now and then, but was able to walk fine without any consequence.

"You bellowed, dear sister?"

She shot him a look. "I'm in pain, leave me alone," she whined, holding up her hand. There was a nasty gash in her palm that looked extremely red and probably infected.

"Ouch. When did you do that?"

"A couple of days ago. I was cleaning and sharpening my knives and I slipped. I didn't think it was so bad, but now, I can't even close my hand."

Johnny sighed. "Why can't you use a gun like a normal mob boss?"

"Because I can hide knives on more parts of my body. And you can throw them. Have you ever tried to throw a gun? Damage isn't the same, " she replied with a wry grin. "Now look at my hand! How bad is it?"

"Do I look like a doctor," he retorted taking her hand in his too look. "You look like you could have used stitches, but it's too late now. And it's definitely infected."

"Ya think," she responded sarcastically. Claudia was going to say something else, but was interrupted by Johnny's phone beeping. He flipped it open and look of anger flashed across his face when he read the text. "What's wrong, John."

"Can you believe that moron Logan is still bothering Lulu after everything? She said he won't stop calling and texting her trying to apologize and hear her out."

"First thing you have to do is get her a new phone and number. Then you get her to place a restraining order against him. Not just the one Mike has for Kelly's. She needs one to keep him away from her."

"I know," Johnny sighed. "I'm sending one of the guards to keep an eye out to make sure Logan doesn't go near her. Then she's coming here after work."

"Good."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments before Claudia spoke again. "Listen," she said. "I'm waiting for a few calls. Do you think you can stay and wait for them while I go to the hospital and get this checked out?"

"Sure. Anything I need to know?"

"Nah, all the notes are on the desk. Just some general stuff. Delivery timetables and things like that. And a potential new customer calling in. You know what to do with that."

Johnny nodded his head in understanding. "No problem. Now hurry up and go before your hand rots off."

"Oh, you're hysterical."

* * *

Luke was sitting in the waiting area at GH. He just finished his exam with Dr. Julian and he's been given a thumbs up. Apparently his new, healthier lifestyle has been treating him well. He missed his liquor and cigars, but Luke had to admit that he hasn't felt this good in years. Dr. Julian just wanted check his paperwork one more time before he sent him on his way.

He was just about to get up and ask a nurse what was taking the good doctor so long when a young woman sat down a seat away from him. Luke glanced over to her – she was an extremely fit brunette dressed in all black with red heels. He grinned at her sense of style. Almost reminded him of something Carly would have worn in her younger, bitchier days.

"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer." Luke looked up to see the girl looking at him. He just smirked at her snarky tone of voice.

"Well, darlin', I guess you're new in town," he drawled, laying an arm along the empty chair between them.

"And why do you say that?"

"Honey, I _**am**_ Port Charles. I know everything about this town. I am the former mayor, former mobster, and resident all around troublemaker. And I'm sure as hell I'd remember you from somewhere. Luke Spencer," he said sticking out his hand. "Nice to meet ya."

"Spencer, huh," she replied, raising an eyebrow. "Any relation to Lulu Spencer?"

Luke's happy-go-lucky tone disappeared. He leaned forward, suddenly suspicious. "How do you know my Lesley Lu?"

"Calm down, old man," she replied in a soothing voice. "She's dating my brother. I'm Claudia Zacchara – Johnny's sister. I'm sure you know him."

"Well isn't this an…. Interesting surprise. Another Zacchara, and my daughter is dating the prince of darkness. I guess I was right in my earlier thoughts," he muttered to no one in particular. "She was able to nab him in 2 weeks."

Claudia laughed. "Sorry, but they've been together about that long."

"Well then, they must have gotten together after he and I chatted. Which means he lasted about a day. That's my girl," Luke exclaimed with a proud laugh.

At that moment, Dr. Julian came over to the chairs. "Okay, Luke, everything looks great. You're doing really well with your recovery."

"No thanks to your father," he muttered to Claudia.

"Not my problem," she muttered back.

"Anyway," Dr. Julian continued over their whispering, "I know many heart patients find it hard to stick no alcohol in their diet – I'm giving you the okay to have a little. But no hard liquor or beer. You can have six 5-ounce glasses of wine a week; no more than two in one day, understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And try to keep it to red wines. If things are still looking good at your next check-up, I _**might**_ allow you to have a glass of your scotch again. But in all seriousness, Luke, you can't drink like you used to. You can have some, but you can't live on it."

"I know, doc. Just ask the Quatermaine household. They've got me on 24 hour surveillance!"

After Dr. Julian left, Claudia turned to Luke and said, "Who what that?"

"That is my cardiologist, courtesies of your dad."

"Hmm… I think I'm getting chest pains."

"Un-uh! Get your own doctor!"

"But he's cute! And he's got a nice butt."

"Okay, sweetheart, too much information." He gave a laugh and looked at her. "You're interesting."

"Uh, thanks?"

"What say we get out of here and celebrate my being able to drink again by getting a drink?"

"No offense, Spencer, but you're too old for me."

"And you sound too much like me for me," he retorted. "I'm married, girlie." As an afterthought, he added, "And I am not old!"

Claudia laughed. "I like you. As soon as I get my prescription from the doctor, you're on!"

* * *

A little while later, they found themselves at Jakes. Luke held the door open for Claudia. "The local dive, m'lady."

She chuckled at his corniness. "You get a table, I'll get the drinks."

"A lady who buys? I must have struck gold."

"Don't get used to it, buddy."

They spent the next hour just talking. Claudia asked about Luke's past in the mob, Luke asked Claudia her relationship with Johnny. They learned a lot about each other and their families and found that they had a really great camaraderie.

"You know," Luke said. "We seem to have a lot in common – " He paused mid sentence and stared at the bar.

"What," Claudia asked, turning around to see what Luke was staring at. "Who's there?"

"Logan Hayes. The scumbag who put his hands on my daughter and gimped your brother."

"Yeah, but my brother did more damage," she replied proudly.

"That he did," Luke said, raising his glass for a toast. Claudia gamely clinked her glass to his and drank.

"You know what," she said after a moment of silence. "I think I'm going to take my leave of you and introduce myself to our friend over there."

He just looked at her. "Oh really. What sort of nasty plan do you have up your sleeve?"

Her eyes twinkled. "I don't know. I'm making this up as I go along." She downed the rest of her drink. "I'll catch you later, old man."

Luke laughed. "Go get 'em, tiger!"

She slowly made her way towards the bar eyeing her prey. He still held himself a bit stiffly – probably from the broken ribs and his face still had a bit of yellowish tint from the old bruises. He looked sullen, nursing a beer. "Hi there," Claudia said siding up to Logan. "I'm Carla."

"Logan," he replied with a grin.

* * *

They crashed through the door of Logan's apartment, furiously kissing.

"Bedroom," Claudia growled against his mouth.

"Straight back."

She furiously began to strip him of his jacket, shirt and belt as they crashed through another door. She discarded the clothing, but held on to the belt. When Logan was backed up against his bed, he tried to remove her shirt, but she halted him. "You first," she said seductively, pushing him back on the bed. Claudia stripped him of the rest of his clothes, leaving him completely nude. _Oh, Lulu,_ she though glancing down, _anybody would be a trade up from __**that**__._

"So, Logan," she whispered, straddling him, "do you like to play games?"

"What kind of games," he asked, huskily.

"Use your imagination." She took one of his hands and looped the belt around it, securing it to one bedpost. Then she removed her belt and did the same with his other hand.

"Oh, I like this kind of game," Logan said with a chuckle.

_Not when I'm through with you,_ Claudia thought. Now, every guy she knew had at least 3 belts in his collection. She could only hope Logan was the same. "Do you have any other belts?"

"Top dresser drawer."

_Score!_ She grabbed the two that were left and gave his feet the same treatment as his hands. Now Logan was trussed up very nicely – spread eagle and naked. When she was done, she moved to turn on the light. Taking her phone out of her purse, she began to take pictures.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"Johnny and Lulu had better appreciate this. Because kissing you? Not my idea of a good time. Here's a hint, honey. Slobbering all over a girl does not turn her on."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"Silly boy," Claudia replied. "Why on earth would you trust a complete stranger?"

"What the hell is going on, Carla," Logan roared, starting to thrash around on the bed.

"I'm sorry," she answered, "did I say my name was Carla? Sorry, no. It's Claudia. Claudia Zacchara."

"You stupid, fucking whore! I'll get you and Johnny and Lulu for this!"

"You kiss your mother with that mouth," she quipped. "And stop thrashing like that. Your thingy is flopping everywhere and not in a good way." She walked over to him and pushed down just a bit on his ribs. He winced and stopped moving, grunting in pain. "Oh, I'm sorry. Does that hurt?"

Logan nodded.

"Good," she said, voice going cold. "Now you listen to me. You will leave Lulu alone. You will not call her, you will not go near her, you will not even **think** about her. She's finally happy. You stay out of her life. If you don't, these pictures are going to make their way all around town and everyone will know about your…" she glanced down again, "shortcomings. If you continue to bother her after that, I _**will**_ kill you. Do you understand?"

Logan only nodded again, fear in his eyes.

Claudia stood up and gathered her purse. "Someone will be by in half an hour to let you go and collect my belt." She left the room and just before leaving the apartment, she called out, "Oh, and if you try to call the police, I'll send these pictures out, too. Have a good night!"

* * *

Luke filled a glass with scotch, looking around to make sure no one was in the vicinity of the Quatermaine study. Well, Dr. Julian did say eventually he would be able to drink a bit, so why not start early? Just as he was getting ready to take a sip, his phone beeped. He took a mouthful and flipped open his phone at the same time. His eyes widened and he spewed the scotch out of his mouth. "Thanks, Claudia," he muttered, looking back and forth from his phone to his glass; then finally putting down the glass. "Now I can never look at scotch again without seeing the younger Baldwin naked."


End file.
